Traumatic Brain Injury

  • ​A couple of years ago, we first heard about a neck band designed to protect athletes from concussions by essentially making their brains bigger. Now, a new study indicates that it does indeed work, protecting wearers against damage caused by smaller hits along with the big ones.
  • ​When someone has a head injury, it's vitally important to know if they're experiencing elevated intracranial pressure – it can cause damage to the brain and spinal cord if left unchecked. A newly-developed device could make the diagnosis process faster and easier than ever before.
  • ​Back in February, the US Food and Drug Administration announced a new blood test that could be used to check patients for concussions. Now, Swiss scientists have developed a handheld device that can be used by laypeople to perform a similar test within minutes, on the spot.
  • ​Even if an armored military vehicle isn't destroyed when a land mine detonates underneath it, its occupants can still receive traumatic brain injuries. Scientists are trying to keep that from happening, with a new shock-absorbing system that could also have applications in civilian products.
  • ​The first diagnostic blood test to evaluate the severity of a concussion has been approved for marketing by the FDA. The blood test can accurately identify patients with brain tissue damage, or intracranial lesions, following a head injury without the need for an expensive & time-consuming CT scan.
  • Science
    ​Two new studies are showing evidence that electrical stimulation to a specific area of the brain can significantly enhance memory and learning. The research suggests a possible future where implantable neural stimulation systems could help improve a person's memory.
  • Science
    Humans can sustain a concussion from a force as low as 60 G’s. But the humble woodpecker inflicts forces of over 1,000 G’s on itself regularly, so how does it protect itself from brain damage? According to a new study, it doesn’t.
  • A new study has revealed a strange gut-brain connection between traumatic brain injury and intestinal damage. It shows a complex two-way interaction between gut dysfunction and brain inflammation.
  • ​A newly published study has provided further evidence linking participation in American football with a degenerative neurological condition called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), which is thought to be triggered by repeated blows to the head.
  • ​The most common cause of concussions in hockey is shoulder-to-head impacts. According to research being conducted at Vancouver's Simon Fraser University, however, the severity of those impacts could be greatly reduced with the simple addition of a layer of foam.
  • Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have identified a series of master genes that, when damaged through traumatic brain injury, can adversely trigger changes in other genes related to the onset of many neurological and psychiatric disorders.
  • Looking to tackle the early signs of traumatic brain injury, the US Navy is developing small sensors that, when paired with specialized scanner, can quickly convert blast pressure into a clear signal of whether of not that soldier should stand down.​​
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