Category: Brain Injury

A new study has found that student athletes who have no access or limited access to athletic trainers are less likely to have concussions diagnosed and treated in a timely manner. According to a report on WPR.org, trainers are licensed medical providers who are equipped to diagnose head injuries after blows to the head. They can also ensure athletes aren’t cleared to return to play too soon. …Read the rest »

Caring for a loved one with serious traumatic brain injury can be extremely challenging and stressful. Depending on the nature and severity of the head injury, you may find that your loved one needs assistance with routine daily activities such as feeding themselves, using the restroom, changing clothes or bathing. In many cases where someone has suffered a traumatic brain injury, home care happens only after extended hospital stays and additional treatment at rehabilitation facilities. …Read the rest »

UCLA biologists have discovered how head injuries adversely affect individual cells and genes that can lead to serious brain disorders. According to a UCLA news report, the life scientists are able to provide a virtual map of the hippocampus — the part of the brain that regulates learning and memory — when it is affected by a traumatic brain injury. As part of this study, researchers studied more than 6,000 cells in 15 hippocampal cell types. Each cell has the same DNA, but which genes will vary in different cell types. This gave them a detailed understanding of the impact that brain injuries can have. …Read the rest »

A new study shows evidence of brain injuries in football players at a surprisingly young age. The study by Orlando Health in collaboration with the Concussion Neuroimaging Consortium finds evidence of lasting effects from head injuries at a much younger age than expected. The study essentially tested biomarkers in the blood called microRNAs and found that college football players had elevated levels of these biomarkers that indicate concussions before the season even started. …Read the rest »

A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) has found that traumatic brain injury significantly increases the risk of suicide. According to a report in The Washington Post, researchers found that of the nearly 7.5 million people who make up the population of Denmark, more than 34,500 deaths between 1980 and 2014 were by suicide. About 10 percent of those who took their lives had also suffered a medically documented traumatic brain injury. This statistical analysis was done using the Danish Cause of Death registry. …Read the rest »

Aaron Hernandez, the former New England Patriots tight end who killed himself in his prison cell in April while serving a life sentence for murder, had a severe form of CTE, a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head trauma. According to a report in The New York Times, this brain disease is said to have affected more than 100 former NFL players. Researchers who examined Hernandez’s brain after his death determined that it was “the most severe case they had even seen” in someone his age. Hernandez was only 27 when he died.

Unfortunately chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE can only be diagnosed after the individual’s death. Hernandez is the latest former football player to have committed suicide and then found to …Read the rest »

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy known as CTE has been found in 99 percent of deceased NFL players’ brains that were donated to scientific research. According to a study published in the medical journal JAMA, the neurodegenerative brain disease can be found in those who have been exposed to repeated head trauma. The disease is marked by a buildup of abnormal tau protein in the brain that could lead to symptoms such as memory loss, confusion, aggression, depression, anxiety, violent behavior or even suicidal ideation. …Read the rest »

The NFL is looking into whether Tom Brady suffered a concussion during last season as claimed by supermodel wife Gisele Bundchen. According to USA Today, Bundchen told the CBS This Morning program that her husband had suffered a concussion last season. The Patriots never listed Brady on the injury report with a head injury or a concussion last season. …Read the rest »

A 33-year-old manager of a pizza restaurant in Huntington Beach, identified as Garret Petersen, suffered traumatic brain injuries after being brutally beaten by two men after he refused to give them free slices of pizza. According to a KTLA news report, Huntington Beach Police Department confirmed two men were booked into jail in connection with the assault, which left Petersen with serious head injuries. Petersen’s friend said the two men jumped him and beat him unconscious because he refused to give them free pizza.

Officers found Petersen in the 300 block of Pacific Coast Highway just before 1 a.m. on March 12, 2017. Petersen managed Thunder Burgrz Pizza on Main Street. Family members said Petersen was in a medically induced coma and underwent surgery. One of the men, 21-year-old Bryce Anthony Mezich, was arrested on suspicion of assault with serious bodily injury and the other man, Austin Wright Callan, was booked on suspicion of fighting in public.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Garret Petersen who has been seriously injured in this horrific attack. We wish him the very best for a speedy and complete recovery. A GoFundMe has been set up to help pay for Petersen’s medical bills and rehab expenses. …Read the rest »

Ben Utecht, the former tight end for the Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals from 2005-2009, has come out with a book titled “Counting the Days While My Mind Slips Away.” According to an Associated Press news report, Utecht suffered five major concussions in his college and professional career. Now, he finds himself battling long-term and short-term memory loss. The book is Utecht’s attempt to document the memories he still has before they slip away before his mind’s eye. He calls the book “a keepsake,” a love letter to his family, especially something for his daughters to hold on to and cherish.

Included in the book are the heartbreaking details of how the Bengals mishandled his last NFL concussion in 2009 initially blocking his attempts to get a second opinion and not giving him a workout recovery plan to follow. Utecht has now become a public speaker and an advocate for concussion awareness. He also testified before Congress on the subject in 2014. During the hearing, he told the story of how he couldn’t remember a friend’s wedding even though he was a groomsman and sang in the wedding. …Read the rest »