A pair of recent medical studies have raised warning flags on radiation exposure from brain imaging tests, especially for patients younger than 20 years old. The main culprit for excessive radiation is the computed tomography test, or CT scan. CT scans are X-Rays on steroids – the CT scanner uses ionizing radiation, which can damage [...]

The University of California San Diego School of Medicine hosted a wide ranging conference on brain health at the end of May. The first topic I’ll cover is a talk by Robert Stern, PhD, professor of neurology at Boston University. Dr. Stern is also Co-Director at the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy, known [...]

The Pop Warner youth football group issued new practice guidelines this week in an attempt to reduce concussions and head injuries among the more than 400,000 children who participate in youth football leagues in the United States. Pop Warner is a major source and feeder system for high school, college, and professional football – more [...]

Baseline Concussion Testing for Sports Teams and School Athletic Departments. A Guide for Coaches, Athletic Trainers, Physicians, and Parents. A number of high profile cases involving long term risks of concussions in contact sports has spurred sports concussion legislation in many states. State legislation will typically require mandatory concussion management policies that school administrators and [...]

Peter King at Sports Illustrated reported earlier today that researchers who run the NFL ‘Brain Bank’ at Boston University have requested that Junior Seau’s brain be donated for research on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a serious degenerative brain disease. (The San Diego medical examiner confirmed today that Seau, 43, whose NFL career spanned 20 years, [...]