Cradled in the skull and immersed in protective fluid, the brain is the body’s mission control. It changes radically throughout a human’s life—starting work not long after they’re conceived and continuing even after they’ve drawn their final breath.
The location and function of various brain regions
A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury—or TBI—caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or by a hit to the body that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth. This sudden movement can cause the brain to bounce around or twist in the skull, creating chemical changes in the brain and sometimes stretching and damaging brain cells.
Each year in the United States, players of sports and recreational activities receive between 2.5 and 4 million concussions. How dangerous are all those concussions? The answer is complicated and lies in how the brain responds when something strikes it. Clifford Robbins explains the science behind concussions. [Directed by Rémi Cans, narrated by Addison Anderson, music by Nicolas Martigne].
Christopher Giza, MD wrote the seminal paper in 2001 on the neurometabolic cascade of concussion, and he explains it in this 2019 video. This is why patients can have severe TBI symptoms despite (1) a normal CT/MRI and no TBI diagnosis at the ER or later, (2) no loss of consciousness, and (3) a GCS score of 15: structural damage isn't causing your symptoms, it's this cascade! In this video, Dr. Giza also discusses why early exercise as tolerated, as opposed to rest, is important for healing.
The human brain is infinitely complex with over 3,000 kinds of cells and 86 billion neurons! Like the brain itself, a TBI case is so complex that it requires an attorney with a lifetime focus on and commitment to learning the interwoven science and law
T-bone car crashes and side impacts in particular can cause this
People may think that the person with adynamia is lazy, lacking in motivation, or think they are not making an effort., but the brain injury itself will often be the cause of the problems. Only a physician can rule out other causes of lack of motivation, like depression or anhedonia.
Here's a shocking statistic: 50 to 80 percent of people in the criminal justice system in the US have had a traumatic brain injury. In the general public, that number is less than five percent. Neuropsychologist Kim Gorgens shares her research into the connection between brain trauma and the behaviors that keep people in the revolving door of criminal justice -- and some ways to make the system more effective and safer for everyone.
Something strange and deadly is happening inside the brains of top athletes -- a degenerative condition, possibly linked to concussions, that causes dementia, psychosis and far-too-early death. It's called chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, and it's the medical mystery that Chris Nowinski wants to solve by analyzing brains after death. It's also why, when Nowinski meets a pro athlete, his first question is: "Can I have your brain?"
“The public needs to know that most doctors don’t know anything about Traumatic Brain Injury. It’s just not part of their educational process.”
Neurologist Brent Masel, MD wrote the seminal paper in 2010 on the disease process of Traumatic Brain Injury, finding:
"TBI is a chronic disease process, one that fits the World Health Organization definition as having one or more of the following characteristics: it is permanent, caused by non-reversible pathological alterations, requires special training of the patient for rehabilitation, and/or may require a long period of observation, supervision, or care. TBI increases long-term mortality and reduces life expectancy. It is associated with increased incidences of seizures, sleep disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, neuroendocrine dysregulation, and psychiatric diseases, as well as non-neurological disorders such as sexual dysfunction, bladder and bowel incontinence, and systemic metabolic dysregulation that may arise and/or persist for months to years post-injury." "TBI should be managed as a chronic disease and defined as such by health care and insurance providers"
Ouch! Everyone experiences pain -- but why do some people react to the same painful stimulus in different ways? And what exactly is pain, anyway? Karen D. Davis walks you through your brain on pain, illuminating why the "pain experience" differs from person to person.
Sleep promotes brain repair, including axonal sprouting, synapto-, neuro-, and angiogenesis after traumatic brain injury, said Dr. Risa Nakase Richardson during her talk at the KITE Toronto Rehabilitation Institute University Health Network on April 25, 2021. Almost 85% of patients with acute traumatic brain injury admitted to rehabilitation experienced sleep-wake cycle disturbance, with more than 30% of these patients classified as having moderate-severe sleep-wake cycle disturbances throughout their rehabilitation and upon discharge into the community.
The world's most powerful 11.7T MRI (1.0T up to 3.0T are common in hospitals) scanned its first 20 human brains April 2024. The machine measures 5 m (16.4 ft) long and wide, weighs 132 tons and is made with 182 km (113 miles) of superconducting wires. To keep the magnets cooled to the required -271.35 °C (-456.43 °F) takes some 7,500 liters (1,981 gallons) of liquid helium. 7T MRI and a neuropathologist working together may soon be able to image and diagnose CTE in vivo, so this scanner brings that future even closer.
https://newatlas.com/medical/powerful-mri-brain-scans-iseult/
David Arciniegas, MD explains why information doesn't "sink in" for brain injury survivors.
Many of us will experience some kind of trauma during our lifetime. Sometimes, we escape with no long-term effects. But for millions of people, those experiences linger, causing symptoms like flashbacks, nightmares, and negative thoughts that interfere with everyday life. Joelle Rabow Maletis details the science behind post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.
Changes in or damage to the brain make emotional and behavioral issues common after a TBI.
PTSD disrupts the lives of average individuals as well as combat veterans who have served their country. The person experiencing the trauma often then impacts the lives of his/her family, friends, and workplaces. PTSD does not distinguish between race, age or gender and often goes undiagnosed. Even with proper diagnosis, many individuals do not know where to turn to get help. Society needs to understand the aftermath of trauma especially combat trauma and how to prepare for warriors when they return home.
Childhood trauma isn’t something you just get over as you grow up. Pediatrician Nadine Burke Harris explains that the repeated stress of abuse, neglect and parents struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues has real, tangible effects on the development of the brain. This unfolds across a lifetime, to the point where those who’ve experienced high levels of trauma are at triple the risk for heart disease and lung cancer. An impassioned plea for pediatric medicine to confront the prevention and treatment of trauma, head-on.
Countless poets and writers have tried to put words to the experience of a panic attack— a sensation so overwhelming, many people mistake it for a heart attack, stroke, or other life-threatening crisis. Studies suggest that almost a third of us will experience at least one panic attack in our lives. So what exactly is a panic attack, and can we prevent them?
Jaycie Loewen Ph.D. explains dysautonomia and the autonomic nervous system. A concussion can do more than affect your brain, it can also affect your entire nervous system!
The relationship between substance abuse and traumatic brain injury is complex. However, research suggests that between 40-60% of substance abuse clients may have a history of brain injury. Additionally, the abuse of illicit substances can place clients at increased risk for suffering a traumatic brain injury which leads to numerous health and psycho-social consequences. This webinar provides information about the relationship between traumatic brain injury and substance abuse, prevalence, assessment, and treatment guidelines.
Tinnitus has been bothering humanity since Ancient Babylon, plaguing everyone from Leonardo da Vinci to Charles Darwin. Today, roughly one in seven people worldwide experiences this auditory sensation. So what exactly is tinnitus, and where does this persistent sound come from? Marc Fagelson travels into the auditory system to explore the loss of silence.
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