Whether you recently suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in Poway or elsewhere in Southern California, you should learn about a recent study that identifies potential biomarkers for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). According to an article in MedPage Today discussing the study, researchers have determined that brain region volume may help us to better understand CTE and ways that repeated concussions can result in degenerative brain conditions. The new study specifically assessed boxers and MMA fighters who showed “distinct brain injury patterns.” We will tell you more about the recent study and what its implications could be for future CTE studies and brain injury claims.

Tracking Brain Injury in Athletes and Other People with Repetitive Head Impacts

Many recent studies surrounding TBIs and other serious brain injuries differentiate between one-time head trauma and repeated head injuries, such as multiple concussions. The recent study specifically assessed repetitive head impacts, or RHI, among professional fighters. That study was conducted by a team of researchers led by Dr. Charles Bernick of the Cleveland Clinic. According to the article, Bernick’s research showed that “active professional fighters showed different patterns of brain volume loss than fighters who have retired from the ring,” and “these differences may lead to biomarkers to track changes in people with repetitive head impacts.”

More precisely, “retired fighters had the most significant volumetric declines in the right hippocampus and in the left amygdala compared with controls, which could be the result of a progressive neurodegenerative process like chronic traumatic encephalopathy . . . or Alzheimer’s disease.” As Bernick clarified, the study suggests that health care providers may be able to use MRI imaging to measure the volume of a person’s brain region after sustaining repeated hits to the head, and certain types of brain volume loss in particular regions of the brain may be signs of CTE or other degenerative diseases. The results of the study appeared in the journal Neurology.

Bernick emphasized that, although the findings could be significant, there is a need for further research and “validation in other cohorts.” Bernick suggested that the type of study he conducted along with other researchers be tested on others who often sustain repeated head injuries, such as service members in the military or athletes who play contact sports like football or soccer.

Early Signs of CTE and Repeated Brain Injury

While CTE cannot be diagnosed definitively while a person is living, studies like the recent one reported by MedPage Today suggest that there are potential methods for health care providers to identify early signs that CTE and other degenerative brain conditions may result.

In addition, the Mayo Clinic cites some of the following as possible symptoms of CTE:

• Difficulty thinking;
• Impulsive behavior;
• Depression;
• Difficulty planning;
• Difficulty carrying out tasks; and
• Short-term memory loss.

Contact a Poway Brain Injury Lawyer

Many traumatic brain injuries occur because of another party’s negligence, from head trauma in car crashes to recreational sports. If you or someone you love recently sustained a concussion or another type of TBI, you may be eligible to file a claim. An experienced Poway brain injury attorney can speak with you today about your case. Contact the Walton Law Firm for more information about our personal injury services.

See Related Blog Posts: More Concussions in Poway Soccer Players E-Scooters Cause Brain Injuries and Broken Bones in and Around San Diego

A large majority of discussions about traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in the last decade have focused on sports-related concussions and head trauma sustained by active-duty service members. In particular, a substantial portion of TBI research has focused on the prevalence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) among NFL football players and others involved in contact sports. In relation to studies concerning professional athletes, much research also has identified the risks of sports-related concussions among youth athletes.

Yet few studies have considered the rate and effects of concussions sustained by women who are involved in “intimate partner violence,” according to a recent article in The New York Times. In response to that research shortage, Dr. Eve Valera has begun to analyze concussions among women who have sustained head injuries inflicted by domestic partners.

Limited Studies on Brain Trauma, Women, and Domestic Violence

According to the article, when Valera began volunteering in a domestic-violence shelter while earning a Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the University of Illinois, she began to wonder, in relation to sports-related concussions and CTE studies, “how many of the women there might be experiencing comparable post-concussive symptoms as a result of head injuries inflicted by their partners.” However, Valera “could not find any published studies on brain trauma related to such violence.” Recognizing the lack of research, Valera decided to begin conducting that research herself.

Valera’s research started with interviews with women in the domestic-violence shelter. Her first study was published in 2003, prior to the first large-scale study of CTE among retired NFL players. In that study, Valera reported that approximately 75% of the women she interviewed had experienced at least one TBI.

Domestic Violence Linked to More Concussions Than Sports

Taking the numbers from her study and relating them to the larger population, Valera estimates that the number of women who have sustained concussions as a result of domestic violence are much higher than many people might expect. When it comes to a single concussion, Valera approximates that up to 31 million women may have been affected. She also considers women who may have sustained multiple concussions—one of the major factors that researchers have linked to CTE in football players and other athletes. In total, Valera estimates that up to 21 million women may have sustained multiple concussions as a result of domestic violence.

How do those numbers compare to the rate of individuals who suffer TBIs in professional sports and in the military? According to a 2018 study Valera published in the Journal of Neurotrauma, “1.6 million women can be estimated to sustain repetitive TBIs in comparison to the total annual numbers of TBIs reported for the military and NFL at 18,000 and 281 respectively.”

To put it another way, most of the information we currently have about concussions and CTE comes from research into men who have sustained these injuries, while women may have sustained substantially more repeat concussions that could have long-term consequences. Valera argues that more research funds need to be invested into studies that assess the ways in which concussions affect women, in particular those who have suffered head trauma as a result of domestic violence. Given that TBIs are linked to degenerative brain diseases, we need to highlight that “two-thirds of those who get Alzheimer’s diagnoses are women,” and more researchers need to investigate the effects of concussions on women.

Contact a San Clemente Brain Injury Lawyer

If you or someone you love sustained a head injury because of another party’s negligence, you should speak with a San Clemente brain injury attorney about your options. Contact the Walton Law Firm to speak with an advocate today.

See Related Blog Posts: E-Scooters Cause Brain Injuries and Broken Bones in and Around San Diego More Concussions in Poway Soccer Players

Whether you live in San Marcos or elsewhere in the San Diego County area, it is important to know about electric scooters and the personal injury risks they pose. According to a recent news release from the University of California, new research suggests that e-scooters are tied to high rates of traumatic brain injury (TBI), broken bones, and dislocated joints. Those who sustain these types of injuries on e-scooters require medical attention, and some seemingly less serious injuries also require riders to seek treatment in an emergency department.

Why are e-scooters dangerous, and how should residents around San Diego County respond?

New Study Ties Electric Scooters to Serious Personal Injuries

Researchers at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine conducted the recent study and published their findings in JAMA Network Open in January 2019. As the news release underscores, this study was the first of its kind to be published concerning electric scooter injuries. The authors of the study examined data from Southern California hospitals between September 2017 and August 2018. They determined that one-third of e-scooter accident victims actually arrived to the emergency departments by ambulance, suggesting that the injuries were too severe for those injury victims to transport themselves.

Dr. Tarak Trivedi, the lead author of the study, emphasized that we need to begin taking a closer and more sustained look at the effects of e-scooters on bodily injuries. As he explained, “there are thousands of riders now using these scooters, so it’s more important than ever to understand their impact on public health.” In the published study, the researchers provide some of the following findings about e-scooter injuries:

• Around 92% of e-scooter injuries affect riders, but about 8% of injury victims also include pedestrians;
• Only about 4% of e-scooter riders who sustained injuries severe enough to require treatment in an emergency department were wearing a helmet at the time of the accident;
• Approximately 5% of e-scooter injury victims had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at or above 0.05%, which physicians cite as the number to indicate “intoxication”;
• 40% of injuries were TBIs and other forms of head trauma;
• 32% of injuries were fractures or broken bones; and
• 28% of injuries were cuts, sprains, or bruises that did not affect the head.

Future of E-Scooter Injuries in San Diego County

While the study cites West Los Angeles at “the epicenter of the electric scooter phenomenon” and thus the location in which riders have the highest injury rates, the San Diego area also has its own share of e-scooter problems. Last year, an article in The San Diego Union-Tribune cited e-scooters as dangerous modes of transportation that cause a variety of injuries, “from broken bones and teeth to punctured lungs and lacerations requiring plastic surgery.”

Earlier this year, the Times of San Diego reported that the San Diego City Council is moving to better regulate e-scooters. For example, while the scooters can travel as fast as 15 miles per hour, new regulations would limit travel to 8 miles per hour and 3 miles per hour in certain areas. Proposed regulations would also require greater oversight of scooter companies.

Contact a Brain Injury Lawyer in San Marcos

If you or someone you love recently suffered a brain injury in an e-scooter accident or in another type of collision, you should reach out to a San Marcos brain injury lawyer to learn more about filing a claim. Contact the Walton Law Firm to discuss your case.

See Related Blog Posts: Athletes in Escondido May Have Brain Injuries Without Obvious Symptoms Brain Injury Research Gets a Boost

(image courtesy of Nathan Dumlao)

More research funds are going toward sports-related concussion studies and concussion risks for youth athletes. We often think about football and other contact sports when we consider traumatic brain injury (TBI) risks, yet many different sports and recreational activities can put young athletes at serious risk of sustaining a concussion.

A recent study conducted by researchers at Northwestern University found that concussions are more common than we previously thought among female soccer players. Nearly 30% of all soccer injuries are concussions. To put that number in perspective, about 24% of all football injuries are concussions. To put that another way, more girls suffer sports-related concussions playing soccer in high school than do boys who play football.

Girls Soccer Players Suffer Head Injuries More Often Than Boys Soccer Players

Male youth athletes frequently are the focus of sports-related concussion studies given that football—the contact sport with the most prominence when it comes to head injury risks—is populated largely by males. However, female athletes also are at serious risk of sports-related concussions, especially female youth soccer players. When we look at both men’s and women’s soccer, youth women’s teams “tend to have more concussions than boy,” according to the authors of the study.

Soccer is actually among the most dangerous sports for young female athletes when it comes to head injuries, according to the study. The researchers explored concussions risks and rates in numerous high school sports, including but not limited to soccer, basketball, softball, baseball, wrestling, and volleyball. In those sports, female soccer players tended to have the highest number of concussions.

Concussions are Becoming More Common in Youth Sports

One of the most worrying aspects of the study is that the researchers concluded concussion rates are rising in youth sports generally, despite the attention coaches and schools are paying to concussion and TBI protocols. Why are more girls who play soccer suffering concussions?

Some commentators believe there is a gender gap in athletic training. In general, youth athletes do not have as much experience as college-level or professional players. Yet sometimes parents question whether girls soccer players are receiving the same training as boys soccer players surrounding proper ways to fall on the field, as well as how to head a soccer ball. Even with the best training, however, sports-related concussions can still occur.

Schools do have concussion protocols in place, but it is always important to think about improvement — better ways to train players to avoid and to deal with injury, and better ways of emphasizing the importance of self-reporting symptoms of a concussion. Many youth athletes do not tell coaches or parents when they have signs of a concussion, which can make recovery much more difficult.

Seek Advice from a Poway Brain Injury Lawyer

Youth concussions often occur because of another party’s negligence. If your child suffered a TBI while playing high school sports, you should learn more about your legal options. An experienced Poway brain injury attorney can speak with you today. Contact the Walton Law Firm to learn more about how we assist injury victims throughout San Diego County.

See Related Blog Posts: More Than Concussions Cause CTE, New Study Says FDA Approves New Blood Test to Detect Concussions

(image courtesy of Jeffrey F Lin)

Sports-related concussions and other types of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) caused by contact sports have received significant attention in the last decade after numerous athletes showed signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). In response to the high rate of brain trauma among youth athletes and professional athletes in contact sports in particular, researchers began engaging in in-depth studies surrounding football and head injuries. According to a recent study conducted at the University of Michigan, high school football players may have concussion biomarkers after taking a hit to the head without showing obvious symptoms.

This new research could help to prevent additional injuries among high school athletes, and it could ensure that youth football players receive the medical treatment and rest they need after suffering a mild TBI, even if they are not showing symptoms of a concussion.

Symptoms of Concussions May Not be Enough to Assess Likelihood of a TBI

According to Dr. Jacob Joseph, a neurosurgery resident at Michigan Medicine who was the lead author of the new study, “in high school football players, there is biochemical evidence of brain injury after a single high-impact hit to the head, even when the athlete is asymptomatic.” In other words, a youth football player might take a hit to the head, show absolutely no obvious signs of a concussion to the coach or athletic trainer, and the athlete might go back onto the field with a serious head injury. The results of the study were published in the Journal of Neurosurgery.

The University of Michigan Health Lab noted that, although coaches and athletic trainers now “talk with the athlete and determine if the player will sit out the rest of the game” after the player sustains a hit or bump to the head, “this might not be enough.” To be sure, “the subtle symptoms of head trauma can elude coaches and players alike.” This study is the first of its kind to suggest that there are biomarkers for brain injury even when symptoms do not appear to allow for a concussion diagnosis.

Continuing to Play Football After a Head Injury can Have Disastrous Results

It is extremely important for football players of all ages, but especially youth athletes, to stop playing after sustaining a head injury. Coaches and athletic trainers already have some difficulty keeping players off the field after a hit to the head because players lie about their symptoms or simply fail to report them. Going back onto the football field after a concussion—even if the player does not have symptoms and does not realize that he or she has been concussed—can have devastating results. The injury can alter the player’s ability to concentrate and focus in the long run, and the head injury could have lifelong consequences.

This new research could change the way that coaches and athletic trainers handle hits to the head among players. While there is still a substantial amount of research to be done on the topic, the research ultimately could allow players to know if they have brain injury biomarkers after taking a hit to the head with a simple blood test on the sidelines. In the meantime, the authors of the study urge coaches and athletic trainers to take a player out of the game when there is a hit to the head, regardless of whether the player shows signs of a concussion.

Contact an Escondido Brain Injury Attorney

If your child sustained a TBI while playing youth sports, you may be able to file a claim. An Escondido brain injury attorney can help. Contact the Walton Law Firm to discuss your case in more detail.

See Related Blog Posts: FDA Approves New Blood Test to Detect Concussions More Than Concussions Cause CTE, New Study Says

(image courtesy of joao victor xavier)

If you or someone you love recent sustained a jolt to the head that led you to have concerns about a concussion or a more severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), you may have visited a hospital in Southern California. This is a good start, yet visiting a doctor just once over a suspected concussion may be insufficient. While many concussions go untreated in general—meaning that the injury victim never seeks a medical assessment or medical treatment for the head wound—there is a new problem involving a lack of follow-up care. According to a recent news release from the University of Southern California, “most concussion patients get no care after leaving [the] hospital.”

What does this mean in practice? In short, more than 50% of people who suffer concussions fail to seek the follow-up care they need in order to recover from the injury.

Patients Risk Adverse Effects by Avoiding Follow-Up Treatment After a TBI

After suffering a mild TBI like a concussion, patients are supposed to return to the doctor for follow-up care. However, as the news release explains, only about “44% saw a physician or other provider within three months of their injury,” which medical experts describe as “a critical period for care.” Moreover, less than half of all concussion patients even take home education materials about mild TBIs when they leave a doctor’s office following diagnose. The news release reports that only 47% of all patients did so in a recent study.

This information comes from a study conducted by researchers at USC’s Keck-Schaeffer Initiative for Population Health Policy. The study has been published in JAMA Network Open. Seth Seabury, one of the lead authors of the study, explained how “the lack of follow-up after a concussion is concerning because these patients can suffer adverse and debilitating effects for a very long time.” Seabury further explained that “even patients who reported experiencing significant post-concussive symptoms often failed to see a provider,” suggesting “a lack of awareness, among patients and providers, that their symptoms may be connected to their brain injury.

Concussions are a form of mild TBI, and they affect millions of Americans every year. In total, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) believes that anywhere from 3.2 million to 5.2 million people in the United States currently are living with “long-term health effects of traumatic brain injury.”

Steps to Take After Suffering a Concussion

What steps can you take to give yourself the best chance of recovery after a concussion? A tip sheet from the Cleveland Clinic recommends the following:

• Learn to identify triggers that worsen your symptoms, and take steps to avoid them (like bright lights, for example);
• Get enough sleep, allowing your brain the time it needs to recover;
• Give your brain rest by avoiding any kind of intellectual overstimulation (for example, studying or attempting to learn more information);
• Get enough rest in general and do not engage in activities that increase your heart rate unless your doctor says it is okay to do so;
• Do not drive a car until you have recovered; and
• Visit your doctor for necessary follow-up appointments, especially if you have additional symptoms that appear, if your symptoms worsen, or if your symptoms do not improve.

Contact a San Clemente Brain Injury Lawyer

Concussions can be have long-lasting effects, even if they do not seem especially serious at first. If you or someone you love sustained a concussion because of another party’s negligence, a San Clemente brain injury lawyer may be able to help. Contact the Walton Law Firm for more information about the services we provide to clients in Southern California.

See Related Blog Posts: More Than Concussions Cause CTE, New Study Says Traumatic Brain Injuries Linked to Intestinal Damage

(image courtesy of Sean Brown)

If you or someone you love suffers a concussion in San Marcos, it is important to know how that traumatic brain injury (TBI) could have effects years later. Much of the current news about head trauma and long-term effects concerns chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative disease of the brain that researchers believe results from multiple bumps or blows to the head. CTE is not the only possible long-term effect of sustaining a single—or multiple—concussions when you are younger. According to a recent article in Popular Science, a new study published in Neurology suggests that a single concussion “can significantly increase the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.”

Even a Single, Mild Brain Injury can Have Effects Decades Later

The new study was conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco. Their research indicates that the amount of a person’s increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease after sustaining a mild TBI is “contingent on how severe the brain injury was, but even a mild brain injury raised the likelihood of Parkinson’s by as much as 56%.” Some of the most common mild traumatic brain injuries are concussions. To clarify, if you sustain a single concussion in your lifetime, your risk of developing Parkinson’s disease could increase by up to 56% in comparison with a person who has never sustained a concussion or another TBI.

Given that about 42 million people sustain concussions each year around the globe, the results of this study could have a significant impact on how we think about the effects of traumatic brain injuries. The researchers came to their conclusion after looking at health records of nearly 326,000 American military veterans between the ages of 31 and 65. The authors of the study classified the brain injuries from mild to severe.

Understanding the Development of Parkinson’s Disease

The study lasted for a period of 12 years. At the beginning of the study, none of the veterans had signs or symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. However, about 50% of them had sustained at least a mild TBI previously. By the end of the 12-year study period, 1,462 of the patients had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and 949 of those patients previously suffered a TBI. In other words, nearly 65% of those who developed Parkinson’s disease had sustained a brain injury. For those with a severe TBI, the risk of developing Parkinson’s increased by 83%.

Parkinson’s disease a “a neurodegenerative disorder that disrupts the nervous system and affects motor control.” While researchers have yet to clarify all underlying causes of the disease, family history, age, and genetic factors appear to play a role. Now, history of brain injury also seems to be a factor. At the same time, researchers emphasize that while the findings of the study seem startling, an average person’s risk of developing Parkinson’s disease is still very low. As such, the study results should encourage more research into the link between Parkinson’s and TBI, but it should not unnecessarily raise alarm among the general population.

Learn More from a San Marcos Brain Injury Attorney

If you need help filing a brain injury lawsuit, an aggressive San Marcos brain injury attorney can help. Contact the Walton Law Firm to discuss your case with a personal injury lawyer.

See Related Blog Posts: More Than Concussions Cause CTE, New Study Says San Clemente Teens and Concussion Risks: What do Parents Need to Know?

(image courtesy of Sean Brown)

When we discuss concussions and other traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in kids in Carlsbad and throughout California, we often think about teen athletes who sustain head trauma in contact sports. However, as the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) explains, there are many ways in which children sustain mild TBIs and more serious head wounds. For example, the majority of brain injuries in children occur in motor vehicle crashes (more than 60,000 every year), followed by fall-related injuries. More than 500,000 kids require treatment in emergency departments every year as a result of TBIs.

All of this is to say that parents should be considering the long-term risks of TBIs even when their kids do not play sports but sustain a concussion or another serious head injury after falling from a bike or being involved in a traffic collision. According to a recent report in CBS News, kids who recover from TBIs may be at risk of developing ADHD at a later point. Indeed, as the report indicates, “young children who sustain a severe head injury may struggle with attention problems as they grow older.” What else do parents in Carlsbad need to know about TBIs in children and ADHD risks?

New Study Addresses Long-Term Implications of Severe TBI in Children

The CBS News report cites a recent study, which seeks to address the long-term implications of severe TBI in young children. In particular, the researchers sought to assess long-term consequences of brain injury in kids between the ages of 3 and 7. What did they determine? Children in that age group who sustain a severe traumatic brain injury “are three and a half times more likely to develop attention deficit hyperactivity disorder by the time they enter middle school.” According to Megan Narad, a psychology fellow at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and the lead researcher on the study, “those kids had a risk of developing attention problems later on in their recovery.

When parents do not realize those long-term consequences and the children get to middle-school age, the problems associated with the early childhood TBI can worsen. As Narad clarified, “by that point, I think a lot of people consider these kids recovered from their injury, but really there’s a chance they could be developing some new problems later on.”

Study Tracks Kids for Seven Years After Severe TBI

The fact that kids who sustain TBIs are more likely to develop ADHD is not a new theory. For quite some time, researchers have linked childhood brain injuries to ADHD risks. What this study does that is new, however, is to show that ADHD can develop even after an extended period of time. Until Narad’s study, researchers only had addressed the development of ADHD in the two years following a brain injury.

In Narad’s study, the researcher tracked kids who sustained TBIs for seven years after the initial injury. They followed the results of 81 different children with brain injuries that were more severe than a concussion and required at least one night of hospitalization for treatment. Given that ADHD can affect a child’s ability to develop and maintain social relationships, as well as to perform well academically, the study suggests that the long-term harms of brain injuries are more than just physical ones.

Learn More from a Carlsbad Brain Injury Lawyer

If your child sustained a brain injury as a result of another party’s negligence, you may be able to file a claim for compensation. A compassionate brain injury attorney in Carlsbad can speak with you today about your case and your options for moving forward. Contact the Walton Law Firm to learn more about how we can help.

See Related Blog Posts: Traumatic Brain Injuries Linked to Intestinal Damage San Clemente Teens and Concussion Risks: What Do Parents Need to Know?

(image courtesy of Jesse Orrico)

Athletes and other individuals in Valley Center who sustain concussions and other traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) may be more likely to develop early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, according to a recent study reported in Science Daily. Although the researchers behind the study emphasize that their results should not prevent parents from allowing their children to play sports and to engage in other extracurricular activities, it is nonetheless important to recognize that, for the first time, there is a clear link between TBI and Alzheimer’s disease.

If you want to read the study in detail, you can find the results published in the peer-reviewed journal Neuropsychology. In the meantime, what else should Southern California residents know about the new study?

Details of the TBI and Alzheimer’s Study

The recent study was conducted by researchers at the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute at UT Southwestern. Dr. Munro Cullum, the lead researcher on the study who also works as a neuropsychologist, oversaw a team that analyzed approximately 2,100 cases of traumatic brain injury and dementia. More specifically, the researchers assessed individuals who sustained a TBI that resulted in “loss of consciousness greater than five minutes” who were also “diagnosed with dementia 2 ½ years earlier than those who had not experienced TBI.”

This study was the first of its kind to use “autopsy-confirmed cases of Alzheimer’s disease” in order to assess the connection between dementia and head trauma. What did they find? In brief, the authors of the study concluded that there is a correlation between sustaining a TBI and developing Alzheimer’s earlier on. Until this study, scientists had explored the links between concussions and dementia, but they could not confirm a clear connection between the two.

Brain Injury Victims may Develop Dementia Earlier Than Others, but We Still Need More Research

How much earlier can a TBI victim begin developing signs of Alzheimer’s than a person who never suffered a brain injury? Previous studies have suggested that a TBI diagnosis “can accelerate onset of Alzheimer’s by up to nine years,” but Dr. Cullum and others emphasize that we need more research on this topic in order to answering many remaining questions. For example, scientists do not yet know what it is that happens in the brain after a TBI that contributes to dementia, or what other factors may be involved in causing dementia after a TBI. For instance, are some TBI sufferers more susceptible to dementia than others? It is possible that the level of inflammation from a TBI plays a role in determining whether dementia will occur, as well as how early, but genetic factors also may be involved.

All of these questions require additional research. According to Dr. Cullum, though, “solving these mysteries may take decades given the lack of detailed TBI history being kept on many patients.” In other words, there is not always sufficient information about TBI patients for current researchers to use the available information to draw conclusions. In the meantime, as we noted above, Dr. Cullum underscores that parents should not panic to the point that they do not allow their children to play any sports at all. While we do know there is a connection between TBI and dementia, we cannot yet say for certain how, when, and why one causes the other.

Speak with a Valley Center Brain Injury Attorney

If you or your child recently suffered a concussion or another form of TBI, you should speak with a Valley Center brain injury attorney to learn more about your options. Contact the Walton Law Firm to speak with an advocate today.

See Related Blog Posts: Traumatic Brain Injuries Linked to Intestinal Damage San Clemente Teens and Concussion Risks: What Do Parents Need to Know?

(image courtesy of Joao Victor Xavier)

Do you have a child who currently plays a contact sport such as football or soccer in Escondido? Do you often worry about the risks of concussion and the likelihood of coaches properly identifying concussion risks on the field? An article in the National Academies Press, which is a journal connected to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, concussions are notoriously difficult to detect.

The article underscores that “part of the underreporting of concussions stems from the fact that the injury cannot be seen,” given that “with a concussion, there is no obvious injury such as when an arm or leg is dislocated.” There are, of course, signs and symptoms of concussions, but these are not always dispositive. As such, teen athletes and others who sustain blows to the head may suffer from concussions but may not be properly diagnosed. A missed diagnosis or improper diagnosis can result in long-term harm.

However, according to a recent article in The New York Times, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has now approved a blood test that is designed to detect concussions. How does it work?

Learning More About the Banyan Brain Trauma Indicator

The new blood test that is supposed to be able to detect concussions and potentially other traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) is known as the Banyan Brain Trauma Indicator. Not only is it supposed to be able to provide information about brain injuries for the purposes of more accurate diagnoses, but it is also supposed to be able to limit the exposure of radiation to many head trauma victims. Currently, most individuals who are suspected of having a TBI will undergo “CT scans, or computed tomography scans, that detect brain tissue damage or intracranial lesions.” As the article highlights, “if the blood test is adopted widely, it could eliminate the need for CT scans in at least a third of those with suspected brain injuries.”

According to Tara Rabin, a spokesperson for the FDA, the blood test “is going to change the testing paradigm for suspected cases of concussion.” The test will be helpful in cases involving athletes suspected of suffering from mild TBI, but also in cases involving soldiers who have been wounded. Indeed, part of the reason the blood test has been approved is because of support from the Pentagon, which provided funding for a clinical trial involving 2,000 people.

Challenges Involved in Diagnosing Concussions

In 2013, there were approximately 2.8 million emergency department visits due to suspected traumatic brain injuries. Of those cases, there were approximately 50,000 deaths. To diagnose TBIs, as we noted above, most physicians first perform a neurological exam, and then a CT scan follows. However, TBIs are very difficult to diagnose. Why is the diagnosis so difficult? One of the reasons is that “symptoms can occur at different times,” and as such a person might arrive at the hospital showing no symptoms while suffering from a serious TBI.

The blood test could change that. It could provide a “quick and accurate” way for healthcare providers to know if a patient has sustained a concussion, and to take appropriate medical action.

Contact a Brain Injury Lawyer in Escondido

Were you or someone you love injured in an accident in Escondido in which you sustained a head trauma? An experienced Escondido brain injury lawyer can speak with you today about your case. Contact the Walton Law Firm for more information.

See Related Blog Posts: Traumatic Brain Injuries Linked to Intestinal Damage San Clemente Teens and Concussion Risks: What Do Parents Need to Know?

(image courtesy of joao-victor-xavier)

We often hear about the long-term risks of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in Poway and elsewhere in the San Diego area, such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), particularly among athletes in contact sports who have sustained multiple concussions. Can head injury risks lead to other types of physical injuries, as well? According to a recent article in Science Daily, a group of researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) have concluded that there is a “two-way link between traumatic brain injury and intestinal changes.” Those intestinal changes, in turn, resulted in more infections and in same cases “worsen[ed] chronic brain damage.”

To be clear, the new study suggests that brain trauma may be linked to additional physical injury. What do you need to know about the study’s conclusions?

Brain Damage Triggers Changes in the Colon

According to the study, TBI may “trigger delayed, long-term changes in the colon.” As a result, “subsequent bacterial infections in the gastrointestinal system can increase posttraumatic brain inflammation and associated tissue loss.” To put it another way, when a person suffers a TBI, she or he also experiences changes in the colon. As a result of those changes, the TBI victim’s body may be more susceptible to bacterial infections. When a person first suffers a TBI followed by a bacterial infection, the inflammation to the brain and general damage to the brain can get worse.

These findings appeared in the peer-reviewed journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. The study was conducted by a group of researchers in the UMSOM Departments of Anesthesiology, Anatomy and Neurobiology, Psychiatry, Neurology, and Neurosurgery.

Previously Known Links Between TBIs and Damage to the Gastrointestinal Tract

This is not the first study to look at the link between brain trauma and the gastrointestinal tract, but it is among the first to clearly indicate that there are in fact “strong two-way interactions between the brain and the gut that may help explain the increased incidence of systemic infections after brain trauma,” according to Alan Faden, the lead researcher in the study. As the article explains, researchers previously concluded that head trauma had an effect on the gastrointestinal tract. What, then, does this study find that others have not?

According to Faden and the other researchers, this study clarifies that “brain trauma can make the colon more permeable, potentially allowing harmful microbes to migrate from the intestine to other areas of the body, causing infection.” After a TBI, patients are at increased risk for blood poisoning (by about 12 times), and the study suggests why. Blood poisoning frequently results from increased bacteria, and the increased permeability of the colon could clarify why blood poisoning occurs so often in head trauma victims. In addition, TBI victims are also “2.5 times more likely to die of a digestive system problem.”

Researchers do not yet know why TBIs result in such profound changes in the colon, but the recent study does suggest clear causality. If you recently suffered a serious injury after sustaining a TBI, it may be linked to your head trauma. A Poway brain injury attorney can speak with you about your options. Contact the Walton Law Firm to learn more about how we can help.

See Related Blog Posts: New Study Addresses High School Football and Traumatic Brain Injury Can a New Protein Help Brain Injury Victims in Oceanside?

(image courtesy of Hush Naidoo)

Is high school football in San Marcos really as dangerous as scientists and physicians have been suggesting? Does playing high school football increase young athletes’ risk for sports-related concussions and more serious traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), in addition to placing them in danger of developing the degenerative brain condition known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)? Most physicians would say, in general, yes. However, according to a new study published in JAMA Neurology, not all high school football players appear to have sustained long-term damage from playing the sport in their youth. High school football players in the 1950s did not, on the whole, show signs of cognitive impairment.

This study appears to call into question some of the recent research on TBIs and high school football. What are the key takeaways from this study, and should this research change the way we manage the risk of brain injuries in contact sports?

Study Explores Link Between Youth Sports-Related Concussions and Long-Term Cognitive Health

One of the primary reasons for the study, according to its authors, is that we simply do not have enough information about how sports-related concussions sustained by youth athletes affects their long-term cognitive and mental health. The authors emphasize that most of the reports we have seen on CTE in retired professional football players come from posthumous examinations of those players’ donated brains, and such investigations may be “affected by referral bias.” It is particularly difficult, then, to make assessments concerning the long-term brain health of high school football players, especially when they do not continue playing the sport in college or at the professional level.

The researchers in this study emphasize that “there has been limited work examining the association of playing high school football with cognitive impairment and depression later in life.” Some studies have taken place, but there have been no randomized clinical trials, and research in general has had some conflicting outcomes.

In order to provide a more complete assessment of the TBI risks of high school football, the researchers proposed a “matched observational study.” In the study, they took a random sampling of thousands of Wisconsin high school graduates from 1957, and then looked specifically at graduates who had played football. They controlled for issues such as “adolescent IQ, family background, and educational level.” The ultimate goal was to “estimate the association of playing high school football with cognitive impairment and depression at 65 years of age.”

No Statistically Significant Link Between High School Football and Cognitive Impairment

The results of the study are surprising given recent work on football and head trauma. In assessing the cases of 3,904 individual men who played high school football, the researchers determined that “there was no statistically significant harmful association of playing football with a reduced composite cognition score.” The study also reported that, after adjusting for control factors, “playing football did not have a significant adverse association with . . . the likelihood of heavy alcohol use at 65 years of age” or with other outcomes such as depression, anger, anxiety, or hostility.

What can we take away from the study? Generally speaking, more research needs to be done on brain injury risks and high school football. In the meantime, if your child suffered a concussion or a serious TBI while playing high school sports, a San Marcos brain injury lawyer can discuss your options with you. Contact the Walton Law Firm today to learn more about filing a brain injury claim.

See Related Blog Posts: Can a New Protein Help Brain Injury Victims in Oceanside? Proposed Brain Injury Legislation Could Help San Marcos Residents

(Photo by João Victor Xavier)

Many residents of Oceanside have followed news about sports-related concussions and the lifelong effects of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). According to a recent article in the Washington Post, scientists have developed a new way of tracking and identifying a protein that may help to address the link between contact injuries and the risks of brain damage in athletes. How can a protein help to address TBIs in sports?

In brief, the protein may be able to help researchers develop better tests for identifying TBIs and treating them more quickly. What is this protein, exactly, and how might it be able to help residents of Oceanside and other areas of Southern California to obtain better treatment for brain injuries?

Learning More About the Protein Called “NFL”

Oddly enough, that protein is called neurofilament light, and is known as “NFL” for short. The acronym for the protein is ironic, of course, given that the National Football League, also known as the NFL, has been the subject of so much research surrounding debilitating head trauma and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative condition that results from multiple hits to the head over time.

How can the NFL protein help with brain injury assessment? In brief, a player’s level of NFL (the protein) increases with concussions. Yet in order to accurately identify it, scientists need to rely on technological innovations.

Research into the protein’s ability to help provide tests for brain injuries has come, in part, from an $800,000 grant from the National Football League’s “Head Health Challenge” that is co-sponsored by GE. According to Kevin Hrusovsky, the chief executive of the company Quanterix that recently received that grant, the name of the protein is “just a remarkable coincidence.”

New Technology Helps to Identify Protein that Could Help Treat TBIs

How is Quanterix using the grant money to develop better head injury assessments? Without the company’s technology, scientists likely would not have been able to identify the protein. As Hrusovsky explains, using the technology is like “being able to see a grain of sand in 2,000 Olympic-size swimming pools.”

This technology is essential, according to the article, “because only tiny amounts of the proteins, referred to as ‘biomarkers,’ dribble across the blood-brain barrier from the cerebrospinal fluid around the brain, where they would be found in larger quantities.” Being able to identify the proteins, and concussions, earlier on is essential to providing better treatment and care. While there are ways to identify proteins without this technology by taking a sample of a person’s cerebrospinal fluid, the article emphasizes that this method “requires a lumbar puncture, or a spinal tap, which is a lot to ask in the middle of a football game (or in any other time and place, for that matter).”

With the Quanterix technology, physicians may be able to identify biomarkers linked to concussions simply by analyzing an athlete’s blood sample taken through a finger prick. Implementation and regular use of such technology is not yet possible, but scientists are hopeful that they are on the right track to developing a “more ‘objective’ test for traumatic brain injury” that will not be invasive for players.

Contact an Oceanside Brain Injury Lawyer

At some point in the future, researchers hope to be able to use technology to identify concussions in a range of players, from youth athletes in Oceanside up through professional athletes in the National Football League. In the meantime, if you or someone you love sustained a TBI, you may be able to file a lawsuit. An experienced brain injury lawyer in Oceanside can help. Contact the Walton Law Firm today for more information.

See Related Blog Posts: Proposed Brain Injury Legislation Could Help San Marcos Residents Mouth Guards Helps Researchers to Assess Sports-Related Concussions (image courtesy of Jesse Orrico)

If you or someone you love recently sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in San Marcos, you likely have many questions about how you will get medical care. Currently, regional disability services are not available to victims of TBIs when they sustain them after the age of 18, according to a report from KHTS Santa Clarita News. However, newly proposed legislation aims to allow younger California residents—between the ages of 18 and 22—to receive access to regional disability services. The proposed legislation, Senate Bill 283, is a measure introduced by State Senator Scott Wilk, a Republican from Santa Clarita.

If the bill passes, how will it better serve TBI victims in California? What else should you know in the meantime about traumatic brain injuries?

Senate Bill 283 Aims to Provide Disability Services to Broader Population

Senate Bill 283 seeks to make changes to Section 4512.5 of California’s Welfare and Institutions Code, which currently details resident access to developmental services for traumatic brain injuries. As we mentioned above, Wilk’s proposed legislation wants to broaden the population eligible for these services. If the bill does pass, California residents who are 18 and older, but likely those under the age of 22, still may be eligible for developmental disability services related to a TBI even if they sustain the injury after reaching the age of majority.

Why did Scott Wilk propose the bill? According to the state senator, “I can’t even imagine the horror a family goes through when a child suffers a traumatic brain injury, let alone to discover your child is ineligible for services simply because he or she is over 18 years old.” Wilk went on to explain that there is strong medical evidence to support the bill’s extension to younger Californians who are 18 and older: “The medical community believes the brain continues to develop until at least 22 years of age, so it makes sense for California’s eligibility threshold to match scientific data.”

The state senator started thinking about potential changes to the law after learning about a car accident in which a constituent’s child sustained a severe TBI in an auto accident just after his 18th birthday. As a result of the child’s age at the time of the crash, he was “ineligible for basic therapeutic services needed to restore normal functioning, such as speaking, walking, and self-care.”

What is a Developmental Disability, and Why Does it Include TBIs?

Currently, California law defines a developmental disability—that is currently covered by the law that the proposed legislation seeks to amend—as a disability that occurs before the child turns 18 years old. The law also specifies that the disability must have consequences that are likely to continue indefinitely (in other words, the disability cannot be fully treated or cured), and the condition must create a substantial disability for the affected person. Traumatic brain injuries currently are in the category of developmental disabilities, but based on the language of the law, the injury would have to occur prior to a child’s 18th birthday in order for him or her to be eligible for services.

If the proposed bill receives substantial bipartisan support and passes, the primary change it would make to the law would simply be an increase to the age of eligibility for TBI victims. It could impact Californians throughout the state.

In the meantime, if you or your child suffered a traumatic brain injury, you may be able to file a claim for compensation. A San Marcos brain injury lawyer can help. Contact the Walton Law Firm to discuss your options.

See Related Blog Posts: Mouth Guard Helps Researchers to Assess Sports-Related Concussions UC San Diego Research on Traumatic Brain Injuries (image courtesy of Jesse Orrico)