The Silent Epidemic
Here’s a months-old YouTube video released originally to increase awareness of TBI. The event advertised has passed, but this short (5 min 33 sec) video is still moving. It’s worth watching. (Video)
Men Take Longer to Recover From Concussions Than Women
Concussions are common mild TBIs. With time, the brain often heals. A recent study showed that recovery from concussion was substantially shorter (average=26 days) in women than in men (average=67 days), regardless of the severity of the symptoms. Concussions affect the white matter of the brain. The neurologists used a special MRI scan to “see” the white matter. They found that men had more abnormalities in their white matter. The recovery time increased with the number of abnormalities. Why women have fewer abnormalities is not known. (Full story)
Football May Affect the Brain
The Journal of the American Medical Association has recently published a study of the brains of 25 University of Tulsa (TU) football players without a known concussion, 25 TU players known to have at least one concussion, and 25 college students who are non-players. The study showed that there was a correlation of years of playing football with differences in behavior and brain anatomy. The researchers found that football players had slower reaction times, and the reaction time was directly related to the length of time an individual played football. The researchers also found that the hippocampus in football players was smaller than it was in non-players. The hippocampus is a part of the brain whose volume is related to memory and emotion. Even players who did not have a concussion had a hippocampus that was smaller than it was in non-players, but there was a greater decrease in volume in those players who had had a concussion. This study does not prove that playing football causes a reduction of hippocampus volume, but it is suggestive. The researchers want to know what causes the smaller hippocampus. David Polanski, head athletic trainer at TU and a co-author on the study, said. “This research brings us one step closer to understanding the connection between contact sports and brain injury.” (Full story 1 and Full story 2)
Possibility of Brain Injury Causing Kids to Shun Some Sports
Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky says that there are 300,000 sports-related TBIs annually in the US. Because many of our youth and their parents understand how much is at stake, even from mild concussions, some young players have walked away from a sport they love, rather than risk a life-altering injury. (Full story)
Stem Cells, MS, and TBI – Strange Bedfellows
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is thought to cause weakness and paralysis by an immune reaction that attacks myelin, which forms a protective sheath around nerves. A surprising result was found after implanting human neural stem cells into the brains of mice with an MS-like disease. As expected, the human cells were rejected and disappeared within a week. But, the treated MS mice could now walk and continued to do so. Scientists believe that the human stem cells released a protein that signaled the mouse neurons to repair their myelin sheaths. This is great news for people with MS. But, what other signals were released? Might a released signal help damaged neurons of TBI survivors? The excitement over a signal means that you don’t have to implant cells. Once the signal is understood, it should be possible to design a therapeutic drug that does the same thing. (Full story and video)
Brain Anatomy and Function and TBI
An informative video explains what each part of the brain does and the relevance to TBI. Good graphics, short (8 min. 20 sec.), and easy to understand. (Video)
Rapid Transit for Some TBI Survivors?
Some TBI survivors have a walking disability that causes them to walk slowly. My husband does, but the primary reason for him is lack of balance. He could walk faster if he could hold onto something (or someone). Available this summer, a new product from Japan might help. It’s a tricycle scooter that is powered by an electric motor and can go up to 15 mph. The electric motor is charged by a standing rider stepping on special pedals. Note the handrails, which will provide a balance aid. Don’t forget to wear a helmet! (Full story)
Longevity Gene Enhances Brain Function
Recent research showed that a longevity gene variant is probably responsible for enhanced memory and higher IQ. Scientists want to understand how the protein coded for by this gene enhances these brain functions. There is much excitement about this protein, which is found circulating in the blood. Once it is known how the protein works in the brain, it may be possible to design therapeutic drugs that mimic the action of the variant longevity protein. Lots of interest is for the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease, but such a drug might also help to restore memories or elevate IQ in some TBI and stroke survivors. (Full story)
Yoga May Help TBI Survivors
Janna Leyde, whose father had a TBI when she was a teen, found help for herself in yoga. Later, as a yoga instructor, she decided to work with her father. They both saw that yoga seemed to bring significant benefits to him. Janna started a yoga program for people with TBIs, including many veterans. The Military is so convinced that yoga has helped soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with TBIs that they employ a yoga instructor full-time. (Full story)
A new study by Stanford scientists has shown that blood from young mice can improve brain function in old mice. This simple experiment produced a surprise result. The scientists haven’t identified the factor (or factors) yet, but it is inactivated by heat. Earlier work from this lab showed that, after receiving blood from young mice, old mice produced more nerve cells than they did previously. One of the scientists formed a company to look at therapy for brain dysfunction, including Alzheimer’s Disease. (Full story)
Two soon-to-be-published studies by Harvard scientists show that GDF11, a protein found in both mice and humans, can improve muscle and brain. One idea is that GDF11 improves blood flow. Another idea (not necessarily exclusive of the first idea) is that GDF11 helps stem cells. Stem cells from muscle can form new muscle cells, whereas stem cells from the brain can form new neurons. Both muscle function and brain function were improved in old mice after GDF11 injections. Maybe the result of this research will be new therapeutic drugs for humans. The scientists are hopeful that funds will be available for establishing pre-clinical trials to test GDF11 in humans. (Full story)
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