The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has, for the first time, released specific guidelines for the treatment of young people with mild traumatic brain injuries, commonly referred to as concussions. An extensive review of the current research into mild traumatic brain injuries yielded the determination by a panel of experts as to the best practice based on the evidence. “It’s only recently that we started to have enough research to do this,” said Matt Gammons, the former president of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine in an interview with Popular Science. “For a long time, we didn’t know a whole lot about brain trauma [...]

A team of researchers, in a Rutgers University study, has discovered two molecules that could be the basis for developing new drugs for the treatment of traumatic brain injuries. The study, which was recently published in the journal of Neurobiology of Disease, uncovered the findings. Lead author Bonnie Firestein, a professor of cell biology at Rutgers opined that damage caused by traumatic brain injuries isn’t just the result of the physical blow, but is connected to the release of a neurotransmitter referred to as glutamate. “I think that this opens up a whole new way of thinking,” Firestein said, “Because, if you want to help somebody [...]

Research by the University of Pennsylvania indicates changes to tiny blood vessels in the brains of people with traumatic injuries, may aid in more precise diagnosis and better treatment decisions. The research presented at the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting on April 27, 2018, showed changes in the blood vessels may be linked to a spectrum of cognitive symptoms following a traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBI accounts for 2.5 million emergency room visits, 280,000 hospitalizations and an average of nearly 50,000 deaths annually, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly one third of all injury deaths are attributed to TBIs. “The relationship [...]