Overview Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of death and disability in the United States, contributing to about 30% of all injury deaths.1 Every day, 138 people in the United States die from injuries that include TBI. Those who survive a TBI can face effects lasting a few days to disabilities which may last the rest of their lives. Effects of TBI can include impaired thinking or memory, movement, sensation (e.g., vision or hearing), or emotional functioning (e.g., personality changes, depression). These issues not only affect individuals but can have lasting effects on families and communities. A TBI is caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or a penetrating head injury that disrupts the normal function of the brain. Not all blows or jolts to the head result in a TBI. The severity of a TBI may range from mild (i.e., a brief change in mental status or consciousness) to severe (i.e., an extended period of unconsciousness or memory loss after the injury). Most TBIs that occur each year are mild, commonly called concussions.2 Among TBI-related deaths in 20062010: Among non-fatal TBI-related injuries for 20062010: Go here to read the rest: CDC | Get the … Continue reading →

Medal for baby brain injury treatment Decades of research into understanding the impact and mechanisms of mild hypothermia treatment to reduce brain injury in newborn babies was recognised with the award of the Royal Societys MacDiarmid Medal this week. University of Auckland Professor of Paediatrics and Physiology, Professor Alistair Jan Gunn was awarded the MacDiarmid Medal for his research into using brain cooling to prevent brain injury in babies who experience low oxygen at birth. The MacDiarmid Medal is for outstanding scientific research which demonstrates potential for human benefit. He developed cooling cap to treat babies with brain injury at birth, and led research into the best way the technique could be used for optimum outcomes. Professor Gunns mother, the late Professor Tania Gunn was herself an eminent paediatrician and neonatologist, specialising in the care of newborn babies. Together they carried out a pioneering randomised, safety study of head cooling for babies in New Zealand in the late nineties. His ongoing experimental studies provided the foundation for understanding how, when and for which babies, the cooling cap can successfully reduce brain damage. Professor Gunn has made a major contribution to perinatal physiology and neuroscience, says the MacDiarmid Medal selection panel. … Continue reading →