Preventing brain injury

Lower cognitive test scores in adults aged 60 to 69 were linked to a higher future stroke risk in a Swedish study of nearly 5,000 people. The study compared performance on tests of thinking ability, memory and information-processing speed with subsequent stroke risk. Lower thinking ability scores were associated with an 86 per cent higher [...]

Six Flags Magic Mountain has permanently closed X2 amid lawsuits alleging riders suffered severe brain injuries on the California rollercoaster. The theme park said it had decided to retire the ride after nearly 20 years. X2 had been closed since July 12 after two riders suffered life-threatening brain injuries less than a week apart. [...]

Greater variation in blood pressure readings over time was associated with a higher risk of death and, for some measures, stroke, according to a study of more than 57,000 people. The findings were observational, meaning they show associations but do not establish that fluctuations in blood pressure directly cause stroke or death. Study [...]

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, [...]

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 [...]

Targeted blood pressure control may reduce repeat stroke risk after intracerebral haemorrhage, a meta-analysis of nearly 3,000 patients suggests. Intracerebral haemorrhage, or ICH, is a type of haemorrhagic stroke caused by bleeding within the brain. Patients receiving intensive blood pressure-lowering treatment had a 38 per cent lower risk of recurrent stroke than those receiving less [...]

Professional American football exposure is linked to a higher Parkinson’s death risk and increased neurodegenerative mortality among former players, research suggests. Former running back Ahman Green recently revealed that he had been diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s disease. Before his diagnosis, Green experienced involuntary foot twitching during sleep and subtle short-term memory problems.   [...]

Stroke risk factors are rising faster among Black African and Caribbean people than their white counterparts, analysis of 30 years of data suggests. Researchers at King’s College London analysed data from more than 8,500 adults in the South London Stroke Register over three decades. It is one of the world’s longest-running population-based stroke registers. [...]

A temporary gene pattern may help explain neck artery tears that cause one in five strokes in people aged under 55. The findings could help identify people at risk of cervical artery dissection and inform ways to prevent strokes in younger adults. A cervical artery dissection is a tear in the wall of an artery [...]

A new daily pill cut repeat stroke risk by 40 per cent in people who had already suffered a brain bleed, a major trial has found. The findings came from a study of stroke survivors with high blood pressure, one of the biggest risk factors for another stroke or other cardiovascular problems. Patients in the [...]