CTE Feed

Robotic exoskeleton helps vet with brain injury walk again

Tue, 29 Sep 2015 04:00:00 +0000

Trevor Greene, a former Canadian soldier who suffered a brain injury during an attack in Afghanistan in 2006, walks with a robotic exoskeleton, Sept. 17, 2015, at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia. This is the first time exoskeleton technology, designed for those with spinal cord injuries, has been used for a person with a brain injury, said SFU professor Carolyn Sparrey.

New: 87 Deceased NFL Players Test Positive for Brain Disease

Tue, 22 Sep 2015 04:00:00 +0000

A total of 87 out of 91 former NFL players have tested positive for the brain disease at the center of the debate over concussions in football, according to new figures from the nation’s largest brain bank focused on the study of traumatic head injury.

Researchers with the Department of Veterans Affairs and Boston University have now identified the degenerative disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, in 96 percent of NFL players that they’ve examined and in 79 percent of all football players. The disease is widely believed to stem from repetitive trauma to the head, and can lead to conditions such as memory loss, depression and dementia. In total, the lab has found CTE in the brain tissue in 131 out of 165 individuals who, before their deaths, played football either professionally, semi-professionally, in college or in high school.

Tracy Morgan closes out Emmy night with emotional appearance

Mon, 21 Sep 2015 04:00:00 +0000

Tracy Morgan thanked the audience for “prayers” and “positive thoughts,” and offered details of his recovery. Just as it seemed he might be losing strength — his speech was somewhat halting — he cracked a joke.

Advancing Treatment for PTSD and TBI

Thu, 17 Sep 2015 04:00:00 +0000

Being a veteran advocate is my full-time job. It's the kind of job that you take with you on vacation, into the shower, to bed at night. I often feel frustrated in my work. But once again I'm feeling optimistic and energized. Recently I've had the opportunity to be in dialogue about modes of treatment for PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury with two outstanding veteran advocates.

MRI improves diagnosis of microbleeding after brain injury in military personnel

Wed, 16 Sep 2015 04:00:00 +0000

"TBI is a large problem for our military service members and their families," said Dr. Gerard Riedy, M.D., Ph.D., chief of neuroimaging at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE) at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. "We found that many of those who have served and suffered this type of injury were not imaged until many, many months after injury occurred thus resulting in lower rates of cerebral microhemorrhage detection which delays treatment."

The State of America’s Football Concussion Crisis (Charts)

Wed, 16 Sep 2015 04:00:00 +0000

It seems that the numbers are reflecting the raised awareness of the concussion crisis that is slowly permeating all rungs of the football community. The number of concussions in each age group has slowly decreased in the last year or so, which could be related to declining youth involvement in football. In fact, Pop Warner saw a participation drop of 9.5 percent between 2010-2012, citing concerns about head injuries as “the No. 1 cause.”

Summit aims to put brain injuries on level with post-9/11 trauma care

Wed, 16 Sep 2015 04:00:00 +0000

There's a system of joint trauma care now from the battlefield all the way to Walter Reed or Brooke Army Medical Center, he explained. That same type of system is needed for traumatic brain injury, says Gen. Brian C. Lein, commander of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command and Fort Detrick, Maryland.

NHL to hire ‘concussion spotters’ to oversee player safety during games, report says

Tue, 15 Sep 2015 04:00:00 +0000

Like all contact sports, hockey is inherently dangerous. But now the NHL wants to make it safer by introducing independent “concussion spotters” at all its games this season. The new personnel will be present at all 30 NHL arenas.

How does the NFL’s concussion protocol work?

Tue, 15 Sep 2015 04:00:00 +0000

The NFL’s concussion protocol consists of a three-step process that a player must go through before being cleared to return. A look at the three steps.

Congressman Walz calls for nationwide inquiry into VA brain injury exams

Thu, 10 Sep 2015 04:00:00 +0000

A Minnesota congressman is calling for a nationwide investigation to determine how many unqualified Veteran's Administration doctors have been doing traumatic brain injury (TBI) exams. The request comes in the wake of disclosures that unqualified doctors performed hundreds of TBI exams at the Minneapolis VA's Compensation and Pension (C&P) Department. Those exams resulted in veterans being improperly denied benefits.

Miss Oregon 2015's cause: Traumatic brain injury

Wed, 09 Sep 2015 04:00:00 +0000

Traumatic Brain Injuries affect 2.4 million people each year. One of these people is Miss Oregon 2015, Ali Wallace.
In 2008, Wallace sustained a TBI while practicing as a cheerleader at Sunset High school. The resulting injuries kept her on the sidelines for more than a year, and affect her still today. “I always thought of my problems as small in she scope of things, but now I am inspired by others to do what I can to make this year count for the thousands in America suffering with traumatic brain injuries."

VA fighting release of names tied to brain injury exams

Wed, 09 Sep 2015 04:00:00 +0000

In the wake of disclosures that unqualified doctors performed hundreds of brain injury exams at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center, the Department of Veterans Affairs is now refusing to release the names of doctors who performed initial traumatic brain injury (TBI) exams at other VA facilities across the country. Many news organizations are appealing the VA's FOIA denial, arguing that releasing the names of the doctors who have performed initial TBI exams will allow thousands of veterans and the public to determine how often exams by unqualified doctors may have denied Veterans benefits and access to medical care.

Brain injury survivors struggle to find new normal

Tue, 08 Sep 2015 04:00:00 +0000

They call themselves the Rebounders. Most of the people sitting in the circle last week had all suffered strokes or traumatic brain injuries. Like fingerprints, no two brain injuries are the same, but many of the Rebounders struggle with similar challenges — foggy memory, balance issues and clunky cognitive functioning.

Leonard Marshall on CTE, Concussion, and the NFL then and now

Fri, 04 Sep 2015 04:00:00 +0000

Like many players of his era, Leonard Marshall didn't get all the information on the effects of head trauma that should have been available to him. The league kept players in the dark regarding these effects for decades, and Marshall was diagnosed with signs of CTE in 2013. "Was I honored for the career I had as a player? And was I cared for? I mean, truly cared for as a professional athlete by the organization and the league I represented? These things come to mind very often."

Interactive: The 2015 NCAA Football Concussion Map

Fri, 04 Sep 2015 04:00:00 +0000

Continuing their coverage from the 2014 and 2013 seasons, America Tonight will track all reported concussions in major college football this season. The interactive map marks each reported player concussion, as well as conference breakdowns of concussions. The map will be updated every week during the 2015 season (including the preseason).