Frequent Brain Concussion Can Lead To Suicide

Frequent Brain Concussion Can Lead To Suicide.
When historic National Football League celebrated linebacker Junior Seau killed himself last year, he had a catastrophic wisdom disorder probably brought on by repeated hits to the head, the US National Institutes of Health has concluded. The NIH scientists who intentional Seau's brain unflinching that he had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). They told the Associated Press on Thursday that the cellular changes they apothegm were similar to those found in autopsies of people "with exposure to repetitive head injuries".

The brawl - characterized by impulsivity, depression and erratic behavior - is only diagnosed after death. Seau, 43, who played pro football for 20 seasons before his retirement in 2009, jigger himself in the box last May 2012. His family donated his brain for research.

Some experts feel - but can't prove - that CTE led to Seau's suicide. "Chronic wounding encephalopathy is the thing we have typically seen in a lot of the athletes," said Dr Howard Derman, manager at the Methodist Concussion Center in Houston. "Rather than say 'this caused this,' I expect the observation is that there have been multiple pro football players now who have committed suicide: Dave Duerson, Andre Waters, John Grimsley - although Grimsley was just reported as a gun accident".

Some fight that these players became depressed once they were out of the limelight or because of marital or monetary difficulties, but Derman thinks the evidence goes beyond that."Yes, all that may be universal on - but it still remains that the majority of these players who have committed suicide do have changes of chronic injurious encephalopathy. We feel that that is also playing a role in their mental state".

But, Derman cautioned, "I can't verbalize that chronic traumatic encephalopathy causes players to commit suicide". Chronic shocking encephalopathy was first noticed in boxers who suffered blows to the head over many years. In late years, concerns about CTE have led high school and college programs to regulate hits to the head, and the National Football League prohibits helmet-to-helmet hits.

Implantable Devices Are Not A Panacea, But The Ability To Relieve Migraine Attacks

Implantable Devices Are Not A Panacea, But The Ability To Relieve Migraine Attacks.
An implantable plot covert in the nape of the neck may excellent more headache-free days for people with severe migraines that don't respond to other treatments, a unknown study suggests. More than 36 million Americans get migraine headaches, which are marked by perfervid pain, sensitivity to light and sound, nausea and vomiting, according to the Migraine Research Foundation. Medication and lifestyle changes are the first-line treatments for migraine, but not one and all improves with these measures.

The St Jude Medical Genesis neurostimulator is a short, all skin and bones strip that is implanted behind the neck. A battery bunch is then implanted elsewhere in the body. Activating the device stimulates the occipital nerve and can crepuscular the pain of migraine headache. "There are a large number of patients for whom nothing works and whose lives are ruined by the circadian pain of their migraine headache, and this device has the potential to help some of them," said scan author Dr Stephen D Silberstein, director of the Jefferson Headache Center in Philadelphia.

The study, which was funded by monogram manufacturer St Jude Medical Inc, is slated for debut on Thursday at the International Headache Congress in Berlin, and is the largest study to date on the device. The partnership is now seeking approval for the device in Europe and then plans to submit their data to the US Food and Drug Administration for sanction in the United States.

Researchers tested the new device in 157 populace who had severe migraines about 26 days out of each month. After 12 weeks, those who received the restored device had seven more headache-free days per month, compared to one more headache-free day per month seen amongst people in the control group.

Individuals in the control arm did not receive stimulation until after the anything else 12 weeks. Study participants who received the stimulator also reported less severe headaches and improvements in their dignity of life. After one year, 66 percent of people in the study said they had ripping or good pain relief.

The pain reduction seen in the study did fall short of FDA standards, which whoop for a 50 percent reduction in pain. "The device is invisible to the eye, but not to the touch". The implantation course of action involves local anesthesia along with conscious sedation so you are awake, but not fully aware.

There may be some forbearing pain associated with this surgery. Study co-author Dr Joel Saper, collapse and director of Michigan Head Pain and Neurological Institute in Ann Arbor, and a associate of the advisory board for the Migraine Research Foundation, said this therapy could be an important option for some bodies with migraines.