Brain injury
Former rugby player David ‘Jacko’ Jackson is nearing the end of a 100-day ultramarathon challenge raising funds for brain injury charities. Jackson is aiming to complete a 50km ultramarathon every day for 100 consecutive days, with the challenge due to finish on September 5. He hopes to raise £100,000 for Headway UK and Head for [...]
Two women suffered catastrophic brain injuries after riding X2 at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California, according to a CNN investigation. The incidents occurred less than a week apart in July and involved life-threatening brain haemorrhages that required emergency surgery. CNN reported that Pamela Guillen, 40, from Hawaii, was visiting the park with her family [...]
A brain injury charity has made an urgent £44,000 funding plea to keep its counselling and speech and language therapy services running. Headway North Staffordshire, based in Cobridge, has been operating since 1985, but its speech therapy and counselling services are under threat due to a lack of funds. Graham Maddox, who was supported by [...]
A 15-minute blood test is helping ER doctors avoid some CT scans for suspected brain injuries using only a few drops of blood. Doctors at UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central and UCHealth Memorial Hospital North in Colorado Springs are using the bedside test to measure biomarkers associated with possible bleeding around the brain. If the biomarkers [...]
At least a quarter of former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 had CTE, a study estimates. Researchers calculated a conservative CTE prevalence of 24.5 per cent among 878 former NFL players who died during the period. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) can currently only be definitively diagnosed after death by examining brain tissue. [...]
Deep brain stimulation may improve speech and swallowing control after traumatic brain injury, early research suggests. A proof-of-concept study found that low-frequency electrical stimulation of the motor thalamus improved control of facial and tongue muscles used in speaking and swallowing. The motor thalamus is a deep brain region connected to the motor cortex. Researchers suggest [...]
A postbiotic given before traumatic brain injury reduced brain damage and improved cognitive performance in mice, a study suggests. Postbiotics are substances produced when gut bacteria digest food. The findings raise the possibility that they could be investigated as a preventive treatment for people at risk of head trauma. The research focused on indole-3-propionic acid, [...]
More than 500 former rugby players can pursue brain injury claims against the sport’s governing bodies following a High Court ruling. The former rugby union and league players allege the governing bodies breached their duty of care by failing to protect them from injuries linked to repeated blows and concussions during their careers. Their lawyers [...]
TBI prevention may depend as much on roads, emergency access and local risks as hospital care, a global study suggests. Researchers examining traumatic brain injury across 29 countries found motor vehicle crashes were the largest single cause globally, although patterns varied substantially between countries. In wealthier countries, for example, ground-level falls accounted for high rates [...]
By Natalie Mackenzie, BIS Services A few years ago, I wrote a book. Not the kind you curl up with, but the kind that sits on a rehab shelf, or in a therapy room, and helps someone make sense of one of the most misunderstood parts of life after brain injury: fatigue. Those working in [...]
