http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. One of the most controversial topics in neurology today is the prevalence of serious permanent brain damage after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Long-term studies and a search for genetic risk factors are required in order to predict an individual's risk for serious permanent brain damage, according to a review article published by Sam Gandy, MD, PhD, from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in a special issue of Nature Reviews Neurology dedicated to TBI. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-experts-prevalence-neurological-dysfunction-injury.html Neuroscience Fri, 05 Apr 2013 17:13:34 EST news284400696 From Junior Seau, former San Diego Chargers linebacker, to Dave Duerson, former Chicago Bears safety—who both committed suicide as a result of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)—traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) have been making disturbing headlines at an alarming rate. In the United States alone, TBIs account for an estimated 1.6 million to 3.8 million sports injuries every year, with approximately 300,000 of those being diagnosed among young, nonprofessional athletes. But TBIs are not confined to sports; they are also considered a signature wound among soldiers of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-scoring-win-win-concussion-diagnostic-tools.html Health Tue, 26 Mar 2013 09:00:02 EST news283505853 Well timed to coincide with the Super Bowl, the US football final that seems to obsess the nation, President Obama raised the issue of the effects of long term damage caused by concussion in the game. In an interview with The New Republic, the President said: "I have to tell you, if I had a son, I'd have to think long and hard before I let him play football." http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-amateur-players-beware-term-effects.html Health Thu, 07 Mar 2013 10:51:20 EST news281875872 Most scientists are starting to agree that repeat, sub-concussive hits to the head are dangerous and linked to neurological disorders later in life. A new collaborative study, though, attempted to find out why – and discovered that damage to the blood-brain barrier and the resulting autoimmune response might be the culprit. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-brain-injury-autoimmune-phenomenon-multiple.html Immunology Wed, 06 Mar 2013 17:00:01 EST news281808351 Sports-related concussions and mild traumatic brain injuries have grabbed headlines in recent months, as the long-term damage they can cause becomes increasingly evident among both current and former athletes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that millions of these injuries occur each year. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-image-concussion-related-abnormal-brain-proteins.html Neuroscience Tue, 22 Jan 2013 15:02:32 EST news278089189 Brain diseases associated with the misformed protein tau, including Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration with tau pathologies, are characterized by neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) comprised of pathological tau filaments. Tau tangles are also found in progressive supranuclear palsy, cortical basal degeneration and other related tauopathies, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy due to repetitive traumatic brain injuries sustained in sports or on the battle field. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-transmission-tangles-alzheimer-mice-authentic.html Neuroscience Tue, 15 Jan 2013 17:00:01 EST news277470484 (HealthDay)—When former National Football League star linebacker Junior Seau killed himself last year, he had a catastrophic brain disorder probably brought on by repeated hits to the head, the U.S. National Institutes of Health has concluded. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-nfl-seau-brain-trauma-suicide.html Other Thu, 10 Jan 2013 16:45:34 EST news277058728 A study done by investigators at the Boston University Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy (CSTE) and the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, in collaboration with the Sports Legacy Institute (SLI), describes 68 cases of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) among deceased athletes and military veterans whose brain and spinal cords were donated to the VA CSTE Brain Bank. Of the 68 cases, 34 were former professional football players, nine had played only college football, and six had played only high school football. The results, which will be published in the December issue of the scientific journal, Brain, represent the largest case series of CTE published to date, doubling the number of published CTE cases internationally. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-cte-cases-veterans-high-school.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 03 Dec 2012 11:45:38 EST news273757467 A new study suggests there may be a starting point at which blows to the head or other head trauma suffered in combat sports start to affect memory and thinking abilities and can lead to chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, in the brain. The research was released today and will be presented as part of the Emerging Science (formerly known as Late-Breaking Science) program at the American Academy of Neurology's 64th Annual Meeting in New Orleans April 21 to April 28, 2012. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-trauma-sports-memory-loss.html Neuroscience Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:00:03 EST news253981272 A new study by researchers at Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus and Pace University is critical of the widespread use of computerized neuropsychological tests (CNT) in decisions regarding when athletes can return to play after suffering a concussion. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-flags-over-reliance-return-to-plan-decisions-concussion.html Neuroscience Thu, 02 Feb 2012 03:50:01 EST news247375905 The tradition of fighting in hockey should be stopped, as research shows that repeated head trauma causes severe and progressive brain damage, states an editorial in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-violence-hockey.html Health Mon, 19 Dec 2011 12:00:03 EST news243517070 Years after a single traumatic brain injury (TBI), survivors still show changes in their brains. In a new study, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania suggest that Alzheimer's disease-like neurodegeneration may be initiated or accelerated following a single traumatic brain injury, even in young adults. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-traumatic-brain-injury-prompt-long-term.html Neuroscience Mon, 18 Jul 2011 17:21:23 EST news230228475