Category Archives: Traumatic Brain Injury

There’s a new condition the Department of Veteran Affairs Office is keeping their eyes out for, and it’s starting to raise some questions.

In March 2007, Ronnie Grigsby was nearly killed while part of a convoy hit by enemy fire.  The blast threw him more than 40 feet and he suffered multiple injuries, including a broken neck and a traumatic brain injury.

Tens of thousands of Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have returned home with traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Many TBI injuries are caused by blasts from those nasty improvised explosive devices, but they can also be caused by any jolt to the head that rattles a soldier’s brain inside his helmet.

A recent IMPACT study to evaluate Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) outcomes has disclosed that while age, race and education are all associated with outcomes, gender does not.  The IMPACT study analyzed Glasgow Outcome Scores at six months post moderate-to-severe TBI injuries.  Although past studies reported female outcomes with higher initial Glasgow Coma Scores and longer durations of post-traumatic amnesia, they also demonstrated equal Glasgow Outcome Scales post-rehabilitation.  At one year post-injury, women showed better memory and language skills, while men demonstrated better visual analytic skills.

Ryan Finneran was in a coma 18 days after he suffered a traumatic brain injury during a car accident in summer 2010. He beat incredible odds when doctors said he had only a 4 percent to 5 percent chance of survival.

Close to 2 million people are affected by traumatic brain injury, or TBI, every year. After an injury, the goal is to preserve as much of the brain function as possible. Researchers are hoping a hormone our bodies produce naturally can help bring the first ever TBI treatment to those who need it.

It can happen in an instant and change lives forever. Close to two million people are affected by traumatic brain injury every year. Worldwide, it’s a major cause of death and disability. Now, researchers are hoping something that our body produces naturally can help bring the first ever TBI treatment to those who need it.

“You got a helmet on. I like that. Nice style,” Kevin Pearce says to the young skateboarder. Jake Canter, 9, responds with a quiet “thanks,” belying his excitement at meeting a hero.

Researchers all over the country are studying what happens to the brain during a concussion. They’re trying to answer fundamental questions about how to treat these injuries, and to learn about their long-term impact.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports at least 1.7 million cases of Traumatic Brain Injury occur each year, and Micah Jones is one of them.