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.

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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.

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(image courtesy of Jesse Orrico)

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.

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(image courtesy of Hush Naidoo)

For quite some time now, UC San Diego has been a “widely acclaimed hub for neuroscience exploration,” according to a recent article in the San Diego Union-Tribune. The university “consistently ranks in the top tier of graduate neuroscience and neurobiology programs in the United States and nationally.” Now, with a donation from the Junior Seau Foundation, traumatic brain injury (TBI) research will expand dramatically at UC San Diego, with a specific focus on sports-related concussions and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

The Junior Seau Foundation was formed back in 1992 by the NFL linebacker who played for the San Diego Chargers from 1990-2002. Seau died as a result of suicide in 2012, and researchers determined that he had been suffering from CTE at the time of his death. How will the donation expand brain injury research at UC San Diego and help to prevent deaths like Seau’s?

Additional Donors Will Match Donation and Will Endow a Faculty Fellowship

The primary way in which the donation from the Junior Seau Foundation will allow the university to expand upon its research is by bringing additional donations to brain injury research at UC San Diego. This will happen in two different ways. First, three separate organizations that are currently “under the UC San Diego umbrella” have agreed to match the $250,000 contribution that came from the Foundation. As such, the university will have about $1 million to explore new opportunities concerning concussions and other traumatic brain injuries.

What will those opportunities look like? First, some of the money will be spent on an endowed faculty fellowship. In addition, the money will be used “to launch the Junior Seau Lectureship Series, which will bring selected K-12 students to campus once a year for presentations on the causes and risks of traumatic brain injuries.” As the article notes, CTE is a degenerative disease of the brain that is diagnosed postmortem by a buildup of protein in the brain. Researchers emphasize that CTE results from “repeated blows to the head,” and more specifically from sports-related concussions. It has numerous symptoms, according to the article, that include but are not limited to:

• Headaches;
• Erratic behavior;
• Memory loss; and
• Social instability.

These symptoms get worse over time.

Raising Awareness About CTE Among Youth Athletes from an Early Age

Given the link between CTE and multiple concussions, it is important for young athletes to know about the dangers of TBIs. The fact that a portion of the Junior Seau Foundation donation will be spent on educating youth athletes may help to reduce the rate of concussions on the field, and ultimately to reduce the number of athletes who develop CTE as a result of multiple blows to the head during their amateur and professional football careers.

Creating an endowed chair position will also allow UC San Diego to continue raising awareness about the connection between CTE and sports-related concussions. According to the article, “having an endowed chair provides the leverage to really stick to a topic and really dig their heels in.” The Junior Seau Endowed Faculty Fellowship in Traumatic Brain Injury, along with the lecture series, will enable the university to engage in community outreach efforts that could make a difference, a news release from UC San Diego Division of Biological Sciences highlights.

Contact a San Diego Brain Injury Attorney

If someone you love sustained a traumatic brain injury, you may be able to file a claim for compensation. An experienced brain injury lawyer in San Diego can assist you. Contact the Walton Law Firm today to discuss your case.

See Related Blog Posts: Football in California May Irreparably Alter Kids’ Brains Youth Football Helmets Recalled Due to Injury Risk

(image courtesy of Jesse Orrico)

If your child currently plays tackle football in San Diego County, you might want to think twice before agreeing to let your child attend another practice or play in another game. Indeed, according to a recent article from NBC News, a new study suggests that head injuries of all sorts—including but not limited to concussions—may irreparably alter a child’s brain. The study was conducted by a team of researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, who were interested in exploring the wider effects of head trauma on kids who play football. Unlike several other recent studies, these researchers wanted to broaden their study to include more brain injuries than just concussions. In so doing, they learned that various types of head injuries can change the way a child’s brain works.

Details of the Recent Study of Youth Football Players

Currently, about three million kids across the United States play in tackle football programs. Up until now, research has primarily looked at the effects of concussions and has explored ways to prevent mild traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). However, the recent study from Wake Forest suggests that we need to be worrying about more injuries than just concussions.

In studying 25 different youth football players between the ages of 8 and 13, the researchers were surprised to learn of the force with which kids on the field sustained hits to the head. The researchers equipped each child with a helmet that included sensors to measure both the frequency of head impacts, as well as their severity. Of the children studied, 60% sustained hits to the head during the course of a practice that registered on the researchers’ scales. According to Dr. Alex Powers, one of the authors of the study who is also a pediatric neurosurgeon, the youth players were “hitting [one another] at extremely high levels.”

Prior to recording data from the head hits, the kids involved in the study underwent pre-season MRIs. After the season was over, the researchers performed post-season MRIs of the brains of each of the children involved in the study. What were the researchers looking for? In brief, they were seeking out “tiny changes in white matter, which is the tissue that connects the neuron-rich gray matter.” And what did they find? According to Dr. Chris Whitlow, one of the lead researchers in the study, the researchers “detected some changes in the white matter . . . and the importance of those changes is that the more exposure you have had to head impacts, the more change you have.”

Impacts of the Study on Kids and Sports

What impacts will—or should—the new study have? According to Whitlow, the study should make clear to parents and to coaches that children’s brains are changing and growing, especially when they are between the ages of 9 and 18. Given that we still do not know a lot about precisely how those brain changes impacts kids in the long run, we may need to reconsider whether it makes sense to allow kids to play tackle football.

At the same time, though, Whitlow emphasizes that the study also warrants more study to answer some of the following questions:

• Do changes to children’s brains as a result of football injuries persist, or do they heal themselves?
• Do injuries worsen as kids sustain more hits to the head?
• What are the long-term effects, in young adulthood and into old age, of head injuries sustained during childhood?

In the meantime, if you have questions about filing a brain injury lawsuit in California, a brain injury attorney in San Diego can assist with your case. Contact the Walton Law Firm to discuss your options.

See Related Blog Posts: Youth Football Helmets Recalled Due to Injury Risk NFL Implicated in Influencing Brain Injury Research

(image courtesy of Oliver Stollmann)

If you have a child who plays contact sports, chances are you already have some concerns about the risks of traumatic brain injury (TBI) or concussions. But what happens when the safety gear that is supposed to be protecting our kids—such as youth football helmets—is not actually safe for use? In other words, do we also need to be worried about defective products that are intended to prevent our children from sustaining serious injuries while they are playing sports? According to a recent report from ABC News, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a recall for a series of youth football helmets that may crack. What happens when a football helmet cracks? In short, young athletes may sustain severe yet preventable head traumas.

Details of the Recent Youth Football Helmet Recall

As the report explains, the CPSC has issued a large recall for potentially dangerous products that could cause serious child injuries. The federal agency has not recalled just a small number of these potentially dangerous helmets. Rather, the CPSC issued a recall for 6,000 helmets due to the risk of serious head injury. And multiple helmets are impacted by the recall, including:

• Xenith Epic Varsity;
• X2 Varsity;
• X2E Varsity; and
• Other youth football helmets that have “a gloss or metallic-painted polycarbonate shell.”

The helmets that have been targeted by the recall were either sold or were factory-reconditioned (meaning parents could have purchased one of the helmets in “refurbished” or “reconditioned” condition) between the dates of May 2, 105 and March 18, 2016. As you can see, the helmets were sold for more than a year.

What should you do if your child currently is using one of the helmets listed? The CPSC recall emphasizes that all football players should “immediately stop using the recalled helmets.” In addition to targeting parents, the recall also points out the players and coaches should be on the lookout for any of these helmets. In the event that your child is currently using one of the recalled Xenith products, you should contact the company immediately for a free replacement. According to the report, the dangerous products were sold at a number of different sporting goods stores, both in-person and online, and the costs ranged from $140 to $400. Helmets in multiple sizes and colors have been impacted by the recall.

Preventing Concussions on the Football Field

Thus far, the company Xenith has learned that 29 of the youth football helmets have cracked on the field, but no athletes have reported injuries. In addition to paying careful attention to the helmet your child uses, a fact sheet from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also recommends the following tips for keeping your teen football players safe during practice and games:

• Work closely with coaches and other players to develop a “culture of safety” on the team;
• Encourage your child to report any signs of concussions experienced by other players;
• Emphasize the importance of taking enough time to recover in the event that your child does sustain a concussion;
• Require your child to follow all safety rules established by the coach and the league; and
• Encourage your child to “practice good sportsmanship at all times.”

The CDC emphasizes that, although there are currently no football helmets that are “concussion-proof,” helmets, when worn properly, can help to prevent the risk of a serious brain injury or head trauma.

If your child got hurt because of a defective helmet, you may be able to file a claim. An experienced San Diego product liability lawyer can help. Contact the Walton Law Firm today.

See Related Blog Posts: NFL Implicated in Influencing Brain Injury Research Mild Head Injuries Cause Long-Term Impairments

(image courtesy of Talento Tec)

Given the enormous attention to sports-related concussions and the long-term implications of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) for professional athletes, it should not come as a surprise that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) developed a brain injury study. What has come as a surprise, however, are allegations that the NFL “improperly attempted to influence the grant review process” for that study, according to a recent report from NFL.com. The allegations came through a report issued by New Jersey Rep. Frank Pallone following concerns about bias.

Do the recent allegations suggest that certain studies may not be providing accurate information about the dangers of NFL concussions and rates of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) among ex-football players? To better understand the implications of Pallone’s report, we should take a closer look at the specific allegations levied against the NFL.

Details of the Congressional Report What are all of the allegations contained within the congressional report? According to a recent article from ESPN.com, the report is 91 pages in length, and it “describes how the NFL pressured the National Institutes of Health to strip the $16 million project [a brain injury study] from a prominent Boston University researcher and tried to redirect the money to members of the league’s committee on brain injuries.” In 2012, the NFL provided an “unrestricted gift” of $30 million for this study, but the congressional report suggests that the NFL has interfered unfairly with its use.

Specifically, the report alleges that the “NFL’s actions violated policies that prohibit private donors from interfering in the NIH peer-review process,” and that the NFL’s recent behavior was in line with “a long-standing pattern of attempts by the league to shape concussion research for its own purposes,” according to ESPN.com. The report is the product of an investigation that began back in December 2015 following a report from Outside the Lines about the NFL’s backpedaling from the NIH study. The primary goal of the study was to find a way to detect CTE in living patients, providing hope for treatment.

According to Pallone’s language in the report, “our investigation has shown that, while the NFL had been publicly proclaiming its role as funder and accelerator of important research, it was privately attempting to influence that research.” Without the NFL’s financial involvement in the study, taxpayers may have to bear the burden of funding the important research.

Taxpayer Burdens and Brain Injury Research Funding As the NFL.com report explains, the NFL has not attempted to redirect or pull all of the $30 million initially allocated for brain injury research. Since the gift in 2012, about $12 million has already been earmarked for pathology studies on CTE. Given that the disease can only currently be diagnosed postmortem, much research has focused on studying the brains of former, deceased NFL players who exhibited symptoms of CTE during their lifetimes.

However, the congressional report focuses on $16 million of that NFL gift that the league allegedly has attempted to redirect. It is extremely important, Pallone articulates, to uphold the integrity of scientific research conducted through the NIH. According to ESPN.com, Pallone hopes that the congressional report will urge the NFL to change the way it approaches brain injury studies and to commit to an ethics of research funding.

In the meantime, if you or someone you love sustained sports-related concussions and have symptoms of CTE, you may be able to file a claim for compensation. An experienced brain injury lawyer in San Diego can assist with your case. Contact the Walton Law Firm today for more information.

See Related Blog Posts: Brain Injury Markers Present in Former NFL Players Mild Head Injuries Cause Long-Term Impairments

We know that multiple concussions can result in irreparable, long-term damage. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative disease of the brain, is now a condition that we know results from sustaining repeated traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), both in contact sports and elsewhere. But what about “seemingly mild, concussion-type head injuries” that happen only one time? According to a recent news release from the University of Pennsylvania, researchers now acknowledge that sustaining what we might call a mild TBI actually can “lead to long-term cognitive impairments surprisingly often.”

Brain Protein Discovered That Signals Cognitive Impairments According to the news release, researchers have discovered a brain protein known as SNTF. It can show up in the blood after a patient sustains a mild TBI, but it does not show up in all cases of concussions. Researchers believe that the presence of SNTF “signals the type of brain damage that is thought to be the source of these cognitive impairments.” A team of researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Glasgow (in the UK) recently reported these findings.

One of the authors of the study elaborated on the significance of SNTF, noting that “the brain protein specifically indicates the presence of nerve fiber damage that we call diffuse axonal injury.” While that kind of an injury may not be clear to someone without specific medical knowledge, the researchers emphasize the underlying point of that finding: “even relatively mild, concussion-type brain impacts can cause permanent damage of this kind.” We do not need to be able to identify the brain protein ourselves to understand that it is a marker of a potential long-term battle with the repercussions of a head trauma.

To better understand what the researchers mean by a diffuse axonal injury, we can take a closer look at some previous research into such brain damage. As the news release explains, a diffuse axonal injury happens when the brain moves suddenly as the result of a TBI. Bundles of axons that are connected to specific regions of the brain get stretched rapidly, the news release articulates. When these axons get stretched rapidly, they can become deformed, which can result in “abnormal inflows of sodium and calcium ions that help regulate a neuron’s function.” When calcium levels are too high, a “self-destruct process” is triggered, which can ultimately result in the severing of nerve fibers.

Blood Tests May Help Physicians to Treat Head Trauma What is the significance of the recent finding? It suggests that physicians might ultimately be able to use blood tests after a patient suffers a bump or blow to the head in order to determine whether that patient may have a diffuse axonal injury. And if a physician can diagnose a diffuse axonal injury, she can help to better predict a patient’s level of cognitive impairment as a result of the TBI.

Sustaining a concussion—whether as a youth athlete, a military service member, or as an adult civilian who does not participate in sports—can have lifelong consequences. If you or a loved one suffered a mild brain injury because of another person’s negligence or wrongful act, you may be able to file a claim for financial compensation. Do not hesitate to discuss your case with an experienced California brain injury lawyer. Contact the Walton Law Firm to learn more.

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Eight high school football players in the country have already died from sports-related injuries sustained this season. With increased focus across the nation on the risks of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and high school sports, officials in California have decided to take a closer look at the future of high school football in our state. According to a recent article in the Contra Costa Times, in response to football fatalities, “the administrator who oversees high school athletics in California raised concerns this week about the sport’s future.

Critical Juncture in High School Football

Does high school football have a future in the San Diego area? Or do the risks of traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries (SCIs), and other serious wounds outweigh student and parent interest in allowing the sport to continue? Roger Blake, the executive director of the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), suggested that we may not see football being played at high schools in a handful of years: “I think honestly—and I say this in all sincerity—I think high school football, we’re at a critical juncture in the next two to three years.”

What could lead the administrator to shut down football programs at local high schools? Blake explained that the CIF is “going to have to watch and look at the medical science and see what the community says about the future.” It is not just California schools that could put an end to high school football. Blake emphasized that school districts and athletics programs across the country are all at the same “critical juncture.”

Keeping Sports-Related Injuries in Perspective

While it is possible that the CIF could reevaluate the risks and reward of high school football in the coming years, Blake emphasized that it is important for parents and school officials to keep the number of fatal sports-related accidents in perspective. As he explained, there are “more kids involved in tragic accidents in cars at 15 years old than the 1.1 million high school football players playing.” In other words, more students sustain deadly injuries in car accidents each year—by far—than do students on football fields. Yet that fact alone cannot be enough to maintain support for a sport that may be putting youth athletes at unnecessary risk of injury.

Blake indicated that the CIF wants to focus on ways to make the game safer for teenagers in California high schools. While the CIF pays close attention to medical reports about sports-related concussions, TBIs, and other catastrophic injuries. The focus of the CIF, however, remains on making football (and other contact sports) safer without eradicating such athletics programs altogether. The article noted that, while Blake discussed the CIF’s position on sports-related injuries and high school football, another young player sustained fatal injuries on the football field.

Sports-related injuries can be debilitating and even deadly. Football players are at serious risk of suffering traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and other catastrophic injuries on the field. In many cases, these injuries could have been prevented. If your child suffered a severe sports-related injury, you may be able to file a claim for compensation. You should discuss your case with an aggressive San Diego brain injury lawyer as soon as possible. Contact the Walton Law Firm today to learn more about our services.

See Related Blog Posts: New Report on Football-Related Brain Injuries and CTE https://www.northcountyinjurylawyers.com/2015/09/would-a-soccer-heading-ban-end-traumatic-brain-injuries.html

Over the last five years or so, new research on sports-related concussions and the long-term effects of mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) has yielded startling results. According to a recent article from CNN News, a team of researchers just reported findings that may suggest chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) occurs more often than we previously suspected. As a brief reminder, CTE is a degenerative brain condition that can ultimately produce debilitating and life-altering effects.

Majority of Former NFL Players Suffered from Degenerative Condition

The new study concluded that 87 out of 91 former NFL players studied—96% of all former players examined—suffered from the degenerative brain condition known as CTE. Currently, CTE can only be diagnosed with certainty after death. As such, the recent research focused on the brain of 91 former NFL players who had donated their brains to science for the purpose of learning more about the long-term effects of head trauma on athletes.

CTE is linked most notably to “repeated head trauma and multiple concussions,” according to the researchers from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Boston University. Scientists do not yet know why some players develop CTE and others do not. Not all NFL players who sustain multiple hits to the head during the course of their careers will suffer from this debilitating condition, yet the recent findings suggest that a majority of players may have to contend with this destructive condition.

While researchers feel relatively certain that you will not develop this condition unless you have a history of repetitive trauma to the brain, the new data suggests that CTE may be more common than athletes have previously believed. CTE is not a condition that develops among only a very small percentage of athletes who engaged in contact sports. Rather, the fact that 96% of the former NFL players studied suffered from this disease intimates that a majority of former players may in fact be at serious risk of developing the degenerative ailment.

Determining Risk for CTE

The researchers hope to emphasize that CTE does not strictly affect athletes. Dr. Robert Cantu, one of the scientists who studied the recent data, highlighted that “there are a number of cases in people who never saw an athletic field.” Examples of other persons in whom CTE has been discovered include but are not limited to the following:

• Former members of the military;
• Persons with seizure disorders or those who have suffered seizures;
• Autistic children who have banged their heads repeatedly;
• Victims of physical abuse; and
• Stunt professionals.

The recent findings first were reported by the television documentary series “Frontline,” and they are now available, along with relevant data, on the Concussion Legacy Foundation’s website.

Contact sports can be particularly hazardous given the rate at which concussions occur on the field. If you or a loved one sustained multiple concussions and have developed early symptoms of CTE, it is important to learn more about your options for seeking compensation. A dedicated San Diego brain injury lawyer can answer your questions today. Contact the Walton Law Firm to learn more about the services we provide for plaintiffs with brain injuries and other sports-related trauma.

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Serious accidents and injuries can take place anywhere, and they often happen when we’re least expecting them. Depending on the type and severity of an injury, the consequences can be life-long. According to a recent article in U-T San Diego, a young Carlsbad man recently suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) while playing in a recreational softball league. While he’s currently in stable condition, doctors worry that he may not be able to fully recover.

A “Freak Accident” on the Softball Field

Less than a week ago, 28-year-old Mike Petracca had been in Las Vegas for a softball tournament. However, while he was walking across the softball fields, he sustained a TBI in what his coach referred to as “a freak accident.” While Petracca was walking between the fields, a “softball bat slipped from a player’s hands, flew like a rocket nearly 90 feet over a fence and struck Petracca in the head.”

After being struck in the head by the bat, Petracca fell and “hit his head on the asphalt.” Emergency medical responders rushed him to a nearby hospital, where doctors “determined he suffered a fractured skull and swelling of his brain.” As a result of the severe injury, Petracca underwent emergency surgery. However, post-surgery scans of his brain suggest that the region of his brain that controls speech (in the frontal lobe of one hemisphere of the brain, known as the Broca’s area) remains damaged. As such, Petracca has only been able to utter one full word since waking up after surgery.

Unfortunately, according to Petracca’s surgeon, the damage cannot be repaired with surgery. Instead, Petracca will need time to allow his brain to heal. However, there are no guarantees. According to the doctor, “he may regain speech in a day or two, or a year or two, or never.” In short, it’s impossible to predict the outcome of this severe head trauma.

Members of the LGBT sports community, of which Petracca is a part, have been generous in helping to fund Petracca’s recovering and in offering their support. He remains in stable condition, and doctors report that his motor skills continue to improve. Petracca’s medical team hopes that the facial paralysis he’s currently experiencing will heal with time. After he’s discharged from the hospital, he’ll continue treatment at a Southern California rehabilitation center.

Sports-Related Severe Brain Injuries

We often think about sports-related brain injuries in college or professional athletes, but they can happen to anyone. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), TBIs are contributing factors in about 30 percent of all injury-related deaths in the country.

While many sports-related TBIs are classified as concussions, or mild TBIs, these injuries can also be more severe. Two types of severe TBIs exist:

• Closed: where an injury to the brain was caused by the movement of the brain within the skull.
• Penetrating: where an injury to the brain resulted from a foreign object entering the skull.

In cases of severe head trauma, the effects can be long-term and life-altering. The CDC explains that, in the case of non-fatal severe TBIs, patients often report one of more of the following problems:

• Impaired cognitive function;
• Impaired motor function;
• Impaired sensation; and,
• Emotional changes, including depression, anxiety, and general personality shifts.

If you or a loved one has sustained a traumatic brain injury, you may be able to file a negligence claim. You should contact an experienced San Diego brain injury attorney to learn more about seeking compensation for your injuries.

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Reasons for TBIs Shift from Childhood to Adulthood

A recent article on NPR discussed the different ways in which children sustain TBIs. Adults sustain brain injuries most often following involvement in a car accident, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Children, however, tend to sustain TBIs more frequently from falls. According to the article, the changes in the ways that children, teens, and adults suffer injuries tend to shift as “their forms of motion change.” And the types of fall-related injuries also vary depending upon the age of the child.

An article published in the New England Journal of Medicine emphasized that young children sustain brain-related injuries from different types of falls than do young adults. The authors of the paper are members of the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network, and their research involved analyzing data from 43,000 children admitted into emergency rooms from “blunt force head trauma” between the years of 2004 and 2006.

Falls Most Common Cause of Childhood Head Injuries

The article’s authors found that three primary causes of blunt force head trauma exist for children under the age of two:

• Falls from elevation, or falls from heights, accounted for 54 percent—more than half—of all emergency room visits related to blunt force trauma to the head;
• Falls down the stairs led to 14 percent of all emergency room visits for kids under two years old;
• Falls to the ground from a walking or standing position resulted in nine percent of emergency room visits.

As is evident, the top three causes of brain injuries for children under the age of two are all linked to fall-related injuries. By and large, falls from heights produce the highest number of serious injuries in these young kids. At the same time, however, it is important to note that falls that occur while a child is standing, walking, or running can also lead to a severe head trauma. How many times has your child slipped and fallen while running on the kitchen tile? How frequently does your toddler trip and fall on the playground asphalt?

For kids between the ages of two and twelve years old, the researchers also discovered that fall-related injuries are the major cause of serious head injuries. The top three causes of head trauma for kids in this age group include:

• Falls from elevation, or falls from heights, accounted for 24 percent of head injuries;
• Falls to the ground from the position of standing, walking, or running led to 14 percent of brain trauma in children between the ages of two and twelve;
• About nine percent of head injuries in this age group resulted from being accidentally struck in the head by an object.

As children grow older, the causes of their head injuries look more like those of adults. Specifically, teen head traumas most frequently result from assault (24 percent), sports (19 percent), and car accidents (18 percent).

If your child suffered a brain injury in a dangerous slip and fall accident, you may be able to file a lawsuit. Contact a dedicated San Diego premises liability lawyer today to discuss your options.

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