By now, most of us understand that traumatic brain injuries are a serious problem for society as a whole, as they affect millions of people every year and leave about the same number of people in a position where they are forced to live with the long-term effects of this type of harm.  We have seen a plethora of news stories and the like with regards to the noble efforts that researchers, clinicians and concerned citizens are making in order to continue the fight against traumatic brain injuries.

However, there has not been much attention paid to different aspects of life and how people who are involved in those activities can get by and even succeed as they fight to recover from a traumatic brain injury suffered in the past.  One of those aspects of life involves education, and too many traumatic brain injury survivors give up on their educations because they simply cannot keep up with their classmates and peers the way that they once did. 

When people are injured in personal injury matters, they have legal options that include filing a personal injury lawsuit against the person or people that injured them.  There are several different types of damages around the country that can be recovered by injured plaintiffs, including recoveries for medical costs, lost income and direct forms of financial loss.  There are also cases where people can recover damages for their pain and suffering, their loss of enjoyment of life and their loss of companionship with their partners. 

When it comes to traumatic brain injuries and lawsuits that people who have been injured in this manner may be able to file if someone else is responsible for their injuries, a recent study could bring those more intangible forms of damages directly into focus in future cases.  That’s because this study, which was done by researchers in Canada, identified a very high percentage of traumatic brain injury survivors who experience several different forms of trouble with their spouses and partners after they suffer the harm that led to their struggles.

It seems as though the more we put into research and learning about traumatic brain injuries, the more we continue to learn at a rapid rate.  While that’s obviously good news because all of the knowledge we acquire helps us put together better treatment protocols and diagnostic tests, it’s also a reminder of how little we still know with regards to this serious public health problem.  There have been many studies that have been done recently that have led to a collective gasp and then to a call for action in a direction that to that point had not been thought about, and that phenomenon has not been limited to the United States.

One country that’s recently experienced this type of collective surprise is Australia.  On the heels of recent research that looked at the percentage of people who were in prison who had suffered traumatic brain injuries in the past, a public outcry for more testing has erupted there.  There is no telling as to what will happen with this effort, but it’s sure to continue to garner attention as the situation progresses to a point of resolution.

When a drug is in its early stages of development, it often goes through trials that involve animals so that more can be learned about its potential.  The reason for this step is obvious – if anything were to go wrong with the medication, human life would not be at risk.  Animals such as rats and mice are often the subjects of these trials, and it’s always a big step to start to include humans in these efforts.  However, that step will help a drug hit the market and gain the trust of doctors and would-be users of that medication. 

That appears to be the stage that a drug has reached in Maryland that is being analyzed by a company there.  Neuralstem, Inc. of Rockville, Maryland feels that a medication that could help treat traumatic brain injuries is ready to be tested in humans.  Therefore, the company has gotten together with the National Football League Alumni Association, or the NFLAA and discussed the possibility of testing the medication on retired players who want to participate in the trial.

Much has been made in recent years of the growing issue that is the number of combat veterans returning to the United States while suffering from the effects of traumatic brain injuries.  Estimates indicate that nearly 250,000 soldiers have suffered some form of a brain injury since the year 2000, which obviously includes many people who were deployed in combat zones such as Afghanistan and Iraq.  Recently, another study was done that measured the amount of knowledge that military members and their families tended to have regarding traumatic brain injuries, and the results were not positive.

It’s not a revelation to state that the issue of traumatic brain injuries has received much more attention from the public in recent years both in the United States and Canada than it had garnered previously. Whether we want to admit it or not, our public discourse and the span of our overall awareness are largely shaped by what we see and hear from the media. A group of Canadian researchers decided to begin an analysis of how the media covered the issue of traumatic brain injuries in hockey over the course of the past 15 years, and their findings were quite interesting.

The attack on the Boston Marathon earlier this week was a scene of pure horror and a despicable act of cowardice on the part of the person or people who perpetrated this heinous crime.  We’d like to join in the enormous chorus of people who are expressing support for anyone who has been affected by this act and we hope that everyone who has suffered because of it is able to put their lives back together as much as possible and as soon as possible. 

When a terrorist act that involves explosions takes place, there is almost too much fallout to keep track of for most people.  Most significantly, three people to this point have lost their lives and more than 170 others have been injured, dozens critically.  Given the nature of the bombs, many of the injuries suffered involved wounds from shrapnel that exploded from the bombs and many people have lost limbs as a result.  The psychological wounds that people have suffered because of this attack are impossible to quantify as well.

For many years now, doctors, coaches, parents and concerned people from all walks of life have been strongly encouraging and in many cases requiring people who participate in sports to wear helmets and/or mouth guards. While these pieces of protective equipment obviously protect the head and the teeth from injuries that would otherwise result from collisions, the governing wisdom was that wearing helmets and mouth guards would also help to prevent concussions. Few if any people challenged that belief over time.

There are certain issues in society that tend to garner attention from people at different levels. Some issues exist on a local level and others exist solely within the population of private citizens. Relatively few make it all the way to the consciousness of the President of the United States, but the issue regarding brain research has. Yesterday, President Obama made an announcement that has sent shockwaves of hope throughout the medical science community dedicated to learning as much about the brain as possible.

There have been many different studies done recently regarding traumatic brain injuries, and one study in particular concluded that people who suffer this injury face a greater risk for dementia later in life. That conclusion has been hotly disputed by many in the medical research world, but the results of the most recent study regarding traumatic brain injury and dementia have revealed some interesting conclusions that could warrant additional analysis.