Concussion News and Research

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Axon Sports CCAT system now available to assess cognitive function in children

Every year, more than 300,000 student-athletes sustain sports-related head injuries. With the fall sports season just around the corner, this is a startling statistic for parents who worry about the devastating effects concussions can have on their children.

25 Aug 2010

U-M launches new program to prevent sports-related injuries

Christopher Roth doesn't remember the train wreck on the practice field: As a University of Michigan fullback, he and another player were running at each other from about 10 yards apart. The resulting collision left him stumbling around, unaware of what he was doing.Like 3 million athletes every year, Roth had suffered a concussion. It wasn't the first time, but this injury ended his football career.

21 Aug 2010

CDC study finds American traumatic brain injury population on the rise

The number of Americans living with traumatic brain injury (TBI) is growing, according to research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Brain Injury Association of Michigan (BIAMI) believes the following issues will have a profound impact on the nearly 200,000 Michigan residents who have suffered a TBI and the many more who may suffer one in the future.

21 Aug 2010

Brain trauma in sports associated with motor neuron disease, researchers find

The Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy at Boston University School of Medicine and Department of Veterans Affairs announced today that they have provided the first pathological evidence that repetitive head trauma experienced in collision sports is associated with motor neuron disease, a neurological condition that affects voluntary muscle movements.

18 Aug 2010

Specific brain abnormalities linked to motor neuron disease in athletes with head trauma

Professional athletes with repetitive head trauma and possibly others with a history of head injuries many years previously may be prone the development of a motor neuron disease similar to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or "Lou Gehrig's disease"), reports a study in the September Journal of Neuropathology & Experimental Neurology, official journal of the American Association of Neuropathologists, Inc.

18 Aug 2010

Play It Safe Concussion Care Solution to use Axon Sports CCAT for Baseline testing

Wells Fargo Insurance Services' Student Insurance Division announced today that its Play It Safe Concussion Care Solution will use Axon Sports Computerized Cognitive Assessment Tool for its Baseline testing. Launched in 2009, the Play It Safe Concussion Care Solution is a broad concussion management treatment and services solution for athletes nationwide.

13 Aug 2010

Special issue on new developments in vestibular rehabilitation

Rehabilitation is essential for patients with disabling symptoms of dizziness, vertigo, and unsteadiness caused by disorders of the vestibular system. A special issue of The Journal of Neurologic Physical Therapy (JNPT) presents an update on new and emerging vestibular rehabilitation techniques, highlighting the physical therapist's role on the multidisciplinary teams providing patient care and research.

4 Aug 2010

Football, cheerleading-related head and neck injury prevention tips from AANS

With kids going back to school soon and football practice already underway in many communities, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) is issuing an injury prevention message about football and cheerleading. "We decided to focus on this topic for Neurosurgery Outreach Month because there needs to be greater awareness about the potentially devastating consequences of head and spinal cord injuries associated with these sports," said Gail L. Rosseau, a Chicago-area neurosurgeon and AANS spokesperson.

31 Jul 2010

National Intrepid Center of Excellence to treat veterans with traumatic brain injury

The U.S. Department of Defense and the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund on June 24 officially dedicated the National Intrepid Center of Excellence, a new 72,000-square-foot medical facility in Bethesda, Md., dedicated to researching, diagnosing and treating traumatic brain injury in U.S. military personnel.

28 Jun 2010

Parents are little aware of concussion risks and support school policies to minimize them: Poll

With growing media attention to concussions among athletes young and old, and recent actions of the National Football League to reduce dangers from multiple concussions among its players, the spotlight is now on what schools are doing to protect their student-athletes. Do parents feel that their kids are safe, and do parents agree with school policies?

14 Jun 2010

Evidence-based review of TBI in sport

Experts from Johns Hopkins Medicine hosted a press conference following a continuing medical education program on the epidemiology of head injury in professional football. The program was an evidence-based review of traumatic brain injury in the sport.

14 Jun 2010

New study compares rates of injury between young players in Alberta and Quebec leagues

Bodychecking in Pee Wee hockey (with players aged 11-12) more than triples the risk of concussion and injury, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Calgary.

9 Jun 2010

AANS/CNS issue statement on Congress hearing of impact of concussions on high school athletes

On Thursday, May 20, 2010, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor held a hearing to learn more about the impact of concussions on high school athletes and how the injury can impact academic achievement. A concussion is an injury to the brain that results in loss of normal brain function and is usually temporary.

20 May 2010

Sports physicals keep athletes healthy to play and avoid tragic occurrences, says sports medicine expert

While seemingly invincible teenage athletes at the height of good health and fitness aren't likely candidates for doctor's visits, even the fit need to visit a physician before practice. Sports physicals, often called pre-participation sports examinations, are key to making sure athletes are healthy enough to play and avoiding tragic occurrences, like sudden cardiac death, says a Saint Louis University sports medicine expert.

17 May 2010

BHR Pharma salutes BIAA's efforts to raise awareness on concussion

BHR Pharma salutes the Brain Injury Association of America for its concerted efforts to raise awareness about the dangers and proper treatment of concussions everywhere from playgrounds to professional sports arenas. BIAA is correctly pointing out through its advocacy that concussions are TBIs, with the potential for serious, debilitating and long-term effects.

24 Mar 2010

ThinkFirst Brain Day program for school children

Today marks the start of international Brain Awareness Week, a unique partnership of more than 1,700 organizations in 57 countries. In Canada, ThinkFirst Canada is teaching children to use their brains to protect their bodies by presenting the ThinkFirst Brain Day program in schools this spring.

16 Mar 2010

Traumatic brain injuries may lead to life-threatening complications

One of the most common questions I am asked after someone hits their head is, "How serious is this bump on my head and should I make an appointment?" Head injuries are the result of trauma to the scalp, skull or brain. Concussion, the most common type of traumatic brain injury (TBI), is an injury that occurs after a blow to the head and results in a temporary loss of consciousness.

12 Mar 2010

Special issue of NeuroRehabilitation journal devoted to HI-BI published

IOS Press announces publication of a special issue of NeuroRehabilitation: An International Journal devoted specifically to hypoxic-ischemic brain injury (HI-BI), a significant disruption of brain function due to a deficient supply of oxygen to the brain.

24 Feb 2010

Study proposes potential molecular mechanism at play in mild TBI

Douglas Smith, MD, director of the Center for Brain Injury and Repair and professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, will present information on the molecular mechanism at play in mild TBI (mTBI), commonly called concussions. Although mTBI affects over 1 million people each year in the United States, it is generally ignored as a major health issue. However, this 'mild' form of injury induces persisting neurological and cognitive problems in many of these patients, exacting an enormous emotional and financial toll on society.

22 Feb 2010

Simple, inexpensive test to help determine concussion in athletes

A simple test of reaction time may help determine whether athletes have sustained a concussion (also known as mild traumatic brain injury) and when they are ready to play again, according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 62nd Annual Meeting in Toronto April 10 to April 17, 2010.

16 Feb 2010