A sad tragedy highlights what I have known for years.  Concussions can be dangerous, and deadly, even when it seems innocuous at the time.  This boy, a junior in high school, suffered two concussions in two weeks and then died two days after his third concussion.  The brain is a remarkable organ, but it is also one of the most sensitive.  Think of it as a computer.  It is a wondrous device, but drop that computer on the floor and all of a sudden the connections go haywire.  The brain is no different, and until medical personnel and coaches fully realize this problem, serious injuries and deaths will occur.  Parents, if your child has suffered a concussion, remember that it is a brain injury.  Don’t let anyone tell you that the child should just “brush it off and play with the pain.”  It doesn’t work that way.  Traumatic Brain Injuries of any type are serious, and should be treated accordingly.  For the full article, please click on the following link:  http://www.parentdish.com/2009/11/17/concussions-not-just-minor-injury/

A new study has concluded what may be obvious to brain injury lawyers like me – Amateur boxing is associated with acute neuronal and astroglial injury. A small population of boxers was studied to determine whether successive blows to the head were associated with injury to the neurons, which are the connective pathways that transmit information between different areas of the brain.  Not surprisingly, a relationship was found to exist.  Further study is needed to determine the exact amount of damage and correlating consequences, but for now the obvious conclusion has been drawn.   For the full article click here:  http://archneur.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/63/9/1277

Football helmet manufacturers are recognizing the dangers and significant consequences posed by head injuries and concussions in football.  To that end, several manufacturers are improving designs, some geared towards reducing the force of the blows received to the head, and others that use a transmitter to notify coaches and trainers on the sideline if a player has suffered a particularly hard blow to the head.  Doctors say it will be years before any improvements can be tracked, and advocates for head injury victims are far from convinced that such measures will eliminate any dangers.  Because we are such a sports oriented society, my guess is that football isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, so the more measures we can put in place to reduce the likelihood of injury, the better, even if they don’t completely eliminate the risk.  For the complete article, click on the following link:  http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2009/11/10/Head-injuries-driving-new-helmet-designs/UPI-39901257865703/

A new study is analyzing the effect of cinnamon on brain cells, with initial findings appearing to indicate  a reduction in inflammation.  Such a finding could have significant consequences for victims of traumatic brain injury and stroke, in which swelling of the brain is one of the principle causes of brain trauma.  Much more study is needed to determine the possible benefits of such findings, and researchers warn that cinnamon itself can be dangerous if taken in amounts more than its typical use as a spice for baking.  For more information, please click on the following link:  http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2009/091109.htm