Public release date: 6-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Tracy Wheeler wheelet2@ccf.org 216-312-3512 Cleveland Clinic Wednesday, March 6, 2013, Cleveland: Concussions are the leading cause of brain damage in sports, particularly in football. However, researchers at Cleveland Clinic and the University of Rochester have found that football players may suffer long-term brain changes even in the absence of concussion. In a study of 67 college football players, researchers found that the more hits to the head a player absorbed, the higher the levels of a particular brain protein that's known to leak into the bloodstream after a head injury. Even though none of the football players in the study suffered a concussion during the season, four of them showed signs of an autoimmune response that has been associated with brain disorders. "Much attention is being paid to concussions among football players and the big hits that cause them, but this research shows that more common, 'sub-concussive' hits appear to cause damage too," said Damir Janigro, Ph.D., the director of cerebrovascular research in Cleveland Clinic's Lerner Research Institute, who led the study in collaboration with Nicola Marchi, Ph.D., of Cleveland Clinic and Jeffrey Bazarian, M.D., M.P.H., of the Clinical … Continue reading →

Mar. 6, 2013 Concussions are the leading cause of brain damage in sports, particularly in football. However, researchers at Cleveland Clinic and the University of Rochester have found that football players may suffer long-term brain changes even in the absence of concussion. In a study of 67 college football players, researchers found that the more hits to the head a player absorbed, the higher the levels of a particular brain protein that's known to leak into the bloodstream after a head injury. Even though none of the football players in the study suffered a concussion during the season, four of them showed signs of an autoimmune response that has been associated with brain disorders. "Much attention is being paid to concussions among football players and the big hits that cause them, but this research shows that more common, 'sub-concussive' hits appear to cause damage too," said Damir Janigro, Ph.D., the director of cerebrovascular research in Cleveland Clinic's Lerner Research Institute, who led the study in collaboration with Nicola Marchi, Ph.D., of Cleveland Clinic and Jeffrey Bazarian, M.D., M.P.H., of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute at the University of Rochester Medical Center. The study -- published March 6, 2013, in … Continue reading →

Newswise TORONTO In a world first, a team of researchers at the Krembil Neuroscience Centre and the University Health Network have shown that Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) in patients with chronic, severe and treatment-resistant Anorexia Nervosa (anorexia) helps some patients achieve and maintain improvements in body weight, mood, and anxiety. The results of this trial, entitled Deep Brain Stimulation of the Subcallosal Cingulate Area for Treatment-Refractory Anorexia Nervosa: A Phase I Pilot Trial, are published today in the medical journal The Lancet. The study is a collaboration between lead author Dr. Nir Lipsman a neurosurgery resident at the University of Toronto and PhD student at the Krembil Neuroscience Centre; Dr. Andres Lozano, a neurosurgeon, at the Krembil Neuroscience Centre of Toronto Western Hospital and a professor and chairman of neurosurgery at the University of Toronto, whose research lab was instrumental in conducting the DBS research; and Dr. Blake Woodside, medical director of Canadas largest eating disorders program at Toronto General Hospital and a professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto. The phase one safety trial investigated the procedure in six patients who would likely continue with a chronic illness and/or die a premature death because of the severity of … Continue reading →

Dr. Barry Jordan specializes in Sports Neurology, Alzheimers Disease and Traumatic Brain Injury Stamford, CT (PRWEB) March 07, 2013 Topics for commentary/opinion from Dr. Jordan: Sports Neurology, Traumatic Brain Injury, Sports Concussion, CTE Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, NFL & Concussions, Boxing and Concussions, Collegiate Concussions, Concussion diagnoses, evaluation and treatment, New guidelines for concussion treatment, State laws and concussion treatment for collegiate athletes, Memory Evaluation and Treatment, Alzheimer Treatment Bio: Dr. Jordan is a board certified neurologist with specialized interests in sports neurology, Alzheimers disease, and traumatic brain injury. Dr. Jordan is currently the Chief Medical Officer of the New York State Athletic Commission and a team physician for U.S.A. Boxing. He is also an Associate Professor of Clinical Neurology at Weill Medical College of Cornell University. Dr. Jordan graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in neurophysiology and obtained his M.D. degree from Harvard Medical School. Dr. Jordan completed an internship in internal medicine at U.C.L.A. Medical Center and performed his neurology residency training at the New York Hospital-Cornell University Medical Center. Dr. Jordan has completed several fellowships including: a fellowship in public health at Cornell University Medical College, a clinical neurology fellowship at the New York Hospital-Cornell … Continue reading →

Mar. 6, 2013 Most scientists are starting to agree that repeat, sub-concussive hits to the head are dangerous and linked to neurological disorders later in life. A new collaborative study, though, attempted to find out why -- and discovered that damage to the blood-brain barrier and the resulting autoimmune response might be the culprit. Published in journal PLOS ONE by the University of Rochester Medical Center and the Cleveland Clinic, the research suggests a new way of thinking about concussions: That the brain degeneration observed among professional football players (including the much-publicized chronic traumatic encephalopathy) could result from an out-of-control immune response, similar to what multiple sclerosis patients experience. If so, this opens the door to investigating a vaccine or drug therapy to prevent head trauma. Although he emphasized that the research is preliminary, co-author Jeffrey J. Bazarian, M.D., M.P.H., associate professor of Emergency Medicine at URMC, said it's exciting to discover a theory that appears to fit with the reality of what experts observe among athletes. Bazarian worked closely with lead investigator Damir Janigro, Ph.D., professor of Molecular Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, and 67 college football players from northeast Ohio and Rochester, N.Y., who agreed to participate in … Continue reading →