Head Injury News and Research

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A mild head injury can increase your chance of developing a sleep disorder

Researchers say these findings highlight the need for improved diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders in mild traumatic brain injury patients who complain of insomnia.

4 Apr 2007

New device sniffs out olfactory disorders that could be an early warning of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's

The Sniff Magnitude Test (SMT), an invention of UC Psychology Professor Robert Frank and Professor Emeritus Robert Gesteland of the UC Department of Cell Biology, is now under further development with the WR Medical Electronics Company in Stillwater, Minn. The company will manufacture and market the test.

4 Apr 2007

Sunny days pose risk of 'flicker illness' for a few airlifted patients

"This shouldn't preclude transporting a patient from point A to point B in an aircraft, but this concern does need to register as a legitimate risk for a small number of patients. Personnel ought to know how to guard against it."

8 Mar 2007

Apolipoprotein E gene raises newborns' cerebral palsy risk

Apolipoprotein E (APOE), a gene associated with heightened risk for Alzheimer's disease in adults, can also increase the likelihood that brain-injured newborns will develop cerebral palsy, researchers at Children's Memorial Research Center have discovered.

5 Feb 2007

Injured, ill children treated at U.S. military hospital in Iraq

Based on the experience of Air Force personnel at an expeditionary military hospital in Iraq, military hospitals should be prepared with the proper staff, training and equipment to treat injured and noninjured children who require medical care.

4 Sep 2006

Long term ibuprofen therapy given after brain injury worsens cognitive abilities

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine found that chronic ibuprofen therapy given after brain injury worsens cognitive abilities.

21 Jul 2006

Discovery of gene behind iron accumulation in brain has implications for Parkinson's, Alzheimer's

Oregon Health & Science University researchers have identified the gene behind a group of rare, progressive childhood disorders caused by an abnormal buildup of iron in the brain.

18 Jun 2006

Better tests needed for fuller view of head injuries

Concussion patients with a normal head CT scan may believe they are free of brain injury, but CT scans often miss damage at the molecular level, warns a University of Rochester Medical Center study.

1 Mar 2006

Head injury patients not treated in specialist brain surgery centres are at significantly greater risk

In a study published in The Lancet which analysed 1989 – 2003 data from the national Trauma Audit and Research Network database, the team compared the death-rates of patients with head injuries with those of other types of emergency patients and assessed the impact of neurosurgical care on these rates.

From The University of Manchester 30 Oct 2005

Pennsylvania law allows motorcyclists to drive helmet free - who pays the medical bills?

Pennsylvania passed a law to allow motorcyclists to drive without wearing a helmet. But who pays the medical bills when a motorcyclist suffers a catastrophic brain injury, and how does this law affect our overall medical policy?

24 Aug 2005

Experimental therapy could offer new way to treat spine damage

An experimental therapy that combines stem cells and gene therapy to repair spinal cord injuries in rats may lead to a new way to treat the same injury in humans.

15 Aug 2005

Simple measures could help to improve outcome for patients who have suffered head injuries

Doctors and other carers often overlook some important aspects of outcome amongst patients who have suffered head injuries, according to a new study published in BMC Family Practice.

27 Jul 2005

Causes, consequences and clinical implications of alcohol-related brain shrinkage

Previous studies have demonstrated that the brains of alcoholics are smaller, lighter and "shrunken" when compared to nonalcoholic brains.

14 Jun 2005

Exposure to pesticides linked to Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's Disease is an incurable degenerative neurological condition and researchers say they may have found a link between exposure to pesticides and an increased risk of developing the disease.

26 May 2005

Corticosteroids should not be used in the treatment of head injuries

Corticosteroids should not be used in the treatment of head injuries, conclude the final results of a randomised trial published online today (Thursday May 26, 2005) by The Lancet.

25 May 2005

Researchers prevent post-traumatic brain damage using experimental drug

In animal studies, researchers from Georgetown University Medical Center have shown how traumatic brain injury leads to loss of brain function - and found that an experimental drug can stop the damage and promote recovery.

18 May 2005

Symptoms of concussion may increase when the outcome of a lawsuit is at stake

The condition known as “postconcussional syndrome” is difficult to define medically but is generally defined as a string of cognitive, physical or behavioral losses that occur after a head injury.

1 May 2005

Moderate hypothermia is a safe treatment following traumatic brain injury in children

A first-of-its-kind multi-center trial has shown that cooling the body can have positive affects on children who suffered traumatic brain injury.

27 Apr 2005

Level I trauma centers boost head injury survival

Head injury patients transferred to level I trauma centers are more likely to survive than if they're transferred to level II facilities, an Oregon Health & Science University study has found.

7 Apr 2005

Kids have upswing in golf-related head injuries

Children’s increasing interest in golf is resulting in an unfortunate upswing in golf-related head injuries, according to a review of sports injuries treated over six years at an academic medical center in Georgia.

5 Apr 2005