The study of Hartings and colleagues found that bleeding onto the surface of the brain (a subarachnoid clot) can directly cause the death (infarct) of the affected brain gray matter the cerebral cortex. Progression to death is mediated by repetitive brain tsunamis (cortical spreading depolarizations), shown here by blue waves and arrows, that spread through the cortex. Brain tsunamis reduce blood supply to the brain (cortical spreading ischemia) and impair brain function, resulting in flatline (terminal depolarization) as the tissue dies. Brain tsunamis were first described in 1944 by Aristides Leo and today are measured in patients with electrodes placed on the brain surface. Credit: Illustration by Tonya Hines, Mayfield Clinic The phrase "time is brain" could take on new meaning when applied to the treatment of subarachnoid hemorrhage, a type of bleeding stroke, thanks to research partially funded by the Mayfield Education & Research Foundation and the United States government. Subarachnoid hemorrhage, caused by the rupture of a brain aneurysm, affects an estimated 10 to 15 of every 100,000 individuals each year. An international team of researchers has established that the blood from this type of hemorrhage launches deadly "brain tsunamis" within hours, leading to permanent brain damage. This … Continue reading →

On March 19, 2012, Brian Grundtner fell 50 feet during an airborne training jump, sustaining multiple broken bones and a traumatic brain injury. Four years later, the former special operations staff sergeant overcame his TBI to graduate from the Carlson School of Management with his Masters of Business Administration. Grundtner, a native of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, said he chose the University for its military veterans MBA program. I think the biggest factor for me was the veterans initiative and the emphasis on integrating veterans into the whole MBA program, Grundtner said. It really helped with the transition out of the military and into the civilian world. Retired naval officer Charles Altman, the MBA military veterans program director, said financial assistance make the University's one of the best programs for veterans. Twenty percent of Carlsons full-time MBA students are veterans and all of them get scholarships, Altman said. Those who complete the program have a 100 percent employment rate after graduation. In a lot of cases what veterans need more than anything else is a leg up this funding provides them that, Altman said, adding he spent time getting to know Grundtner while he was a student. Dave Hopkins, a … Continue reading →

Photographee.eu/ShutterstockSome of the early symptoms of Alzheimers Disease are the same as those of depression, including apathy and irritability. As a result, many patients with Alzheimers Disease (AD) are prescribed antidepressant medications. A group of scientists from the University of Eastern Finland were concerned that this practice could be increasing the risk of head and brain injuries among AD patients. Heres why: First, AD is a disease associated primarily with the elderly. Second, antidepressant use among the elderly is associated with an increased risk of falling down. Finally, falling down is the number one cause of head and brain injuries in the elderly (compare this to younger people, who more often experience head injuries as a result of motor vehicle, sports, and other accidents). Since there were no existing studies investigating the risk of head or brain injuries associated with antidepressant use, let alone studies that focused on the AD patients or even the elderly, the Finnish scientists took it upon themselves to investigate whether antidepressant use is associated not only with an increased risk of falling, but also with an increased risk of head and brain injury in Alzheimers patients. What they found is that the use of antidepressants … Continue reading →

This article was originally published on The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. Disclosure information is available on the original site. Author: Kathryn Schneider, Assistant Professor, Clinician Scientist (Physiotherapist), Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary Recognize, remove, rest and recover before returning to sport. Those are key points about sport-related concussion stated in the 5th International Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport. The Canadian Guidelines on Concussion in Sport have been developed based on this statement and were recently released by Parachute Canada, a charitable organization focused on injury prevention, and its expert advisory group. The good news is that most people who suffer a concussion will recover in the initial days and weeks following injury. However, some will have ongoing symptoms. While concussions may occur in sport, there are many benefits to physical activity and sport participation for both youth and adults. I am a physiotherapist and researcher (assistant professor and clinician scientist) at the Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary. My research focuses on the prevention and treatment of sport-related concussion in children, youth and adults, with special emphasis on the role of the neck … Continue reading →