Head Trauma News and Research

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Head injury refers to trauma to the head. This may or may not include injury to the brain. However, the terms traumatic brain injury and head injury are often used interchangeably in the medical literature.

UC San Diego participates in the expansion of Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative

After a decade of pioneering research, the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research will see a major expansion.

6 Dec 2021

For older adults, smelling the roses may be more difficult

The reports from covid-19 patients are disconcerting. Only a few hours before, they were enjoying a cup of pungent coffee or the fragrance of flowers in a garden. Then, as if a switch had been flipped, those smells disappeared.

1 Dec 2021

Study uses novel technology to map the brain circuitry of spirituality

Scientists have long suspected that religiosity and spirituality could be mapped to specific brain circuits, but the location of those circuits remains unknown. Now, a new study using novel technology and the human connectome, a map of neural connections, has identified a brain circuit that seems to mediate that aspect of our personality. The work appears in Biological Psychiatry, published by Elsevier.

31 Aug 2021

Portable MRI can help identify intracranial hemorrhages in stroke patients

When patients exhibit stroke symptoms, doctors must quickly make a life or death determination: Are their symptoms caused by a clot that can be treated with blood thinners or by bleeding in the brain, which may require surgery?

25 Aug 2021

Study: TBI doesn't necessarily lead to an increased risk of marital instability

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has a major impact on the lives of affected patients and families. But it doesn't necessarily lead to an increased risk of marital instability, as two-thirds of patients with TBI are still married to the same partner 10 years after their injury, reports a study in the July/August issue of the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation.

6 Jul 2021

Study finds a neural circuit for spirituality and religiosity

More than 80 percent of people around the world consider themselves to be religious or spiritual. But research on the neuroscience of spirituality and religiosity has been sparse.

1 Jul 2021

Study reveals potential mechanism for how traumatic brain injury leads to neurodegenerative diseases

Scientists have revealed a potential mechanism for how traumatic brain injury leads to neurodegenerative diseases, according to a study in fruit flies, and rat and human brain tissue, published today in eLife.

1 Jun 2021

Unique observational tool developed for assessing children with concussion

A research team led by scientists at Université de Montréal has developed a unique observational tool for assessing children up to 5 years of age who have had a concussion.

1 Jun 2021

New insights into white matter changes may offer novel targets for prevention, therapies

ince 2008, researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and VA Boston Healthcare System have studied Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a progressive brain disease associated with repetitive head impacts that has been diagnosed after death in the brains of American football players and other contact sport athletes as well as members of the armed services.

25 May 2021

Black collegiate-athletes found to have lower concussion symptom knowledge than White counterparts

Among collegiate football players and other athletes, Black athletes recognize fewer concussion-related symptoms than their White counterparts, reports a study in the May/June issue of the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation.

7 May 2021

Review: One-third of children develop post-concussion mental health issues

A third of children and adolescents develop a mental health problem after a concussion, which could persist for several years post-injury, according to a new literature review.

29 Apr 2021

Researchers measure self-paced physical and cognitive activity to manage concussion

Concussion, a form of traumatic brain injury, is a common injury among children and teens. Concussions can have adverse effects on physical, cognitive, emotional and sleep health.

9 Mar 2021

Child abuse cases may have declined during the pandemic, study shows

While natural disasters and economic recessions traditionally unleash an uptick in child abuse, a new study suggests that cases may have declined in the first months of the pandemic, compared with the same timeframe in previous years.

2 Mar 2021

Modified therapeutic molecule enhances stroke treatment

A research team from the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) has improved the protective effect of a molecule against ischemic stroke, which is caused by an interruption of blood flow to the brain.

18 Feb 2021

How have COVID-19 pandemic school closures impacted the health of children globally?

A new study by researchers in the US and the UK explores the damage caused by school closures to educational progress, health, and well-being in children and young people globally.

18 Feb 2021

Updated concussion guidelines reduced length of symptoms among athletes

The adoption of recommended changes in concussion management led to a reduction in the length of symptoms among 11- to 18-year-old athletes with first-time, sports-related concussions, according to new research in the Journal of Osteopathic Medicine.

2 Feb 2021

Understanding traumatic brain injury in women

Analysis from a workshop convened by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) in 2017 reveals gaps in and opportunities for research to improve understanding of the effects of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in women.

7 Jan 2021

Clinical psychologist evaluates the dangers of race-based norms in cognitive testing

A UCSF clinical psychologist has taken aim at the National Football League (NFL) for "race norming" black players diagnosed with dementia, a practice that is depriving them of the monetary awards allocated to former footballers with neurodegenerative disorders.

22 Dec 2020

Researchers develop portable, low-cost 'head only' MRI scanner

When it comes to brain scans for assessing head trauma, detecting brain cancer, and performing numerous other tests, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the best option, but MRI scanners are costly, require special infrastructure, and are immobile.

24 Nov 2020

Spit testing may aid non-invasive concussion diagnosis

Doctors may soon be able to more accurately diagnose concussions by measuring the number of certain molecules in a person's saliva, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers.

9 Nov 2020