Brain Injury

An Iraqi insurgent shot him in the chest. Later, he was wounded in the back in an ambush. But what left this U.S. Marine debilitated, perhaps for life, was a blast-induced, traumatic brain injury that initially went undetected. Advanced body armor is saving our troops' lives, but soldiers have little protection against blast-induced, traumatic brain injury, the "signature injury" in today's wars. There is a need for research that can help reduce such injuries, and Maryland has a unique ability to do it — with additional federal help.

The human brain is a marvelous instrument, capable of the subtlest thoughts, feelings and perceptions, and of dreams even the gods might envy. Yet for all our cleverness in other areas, we still know embarrassingly little about how our own brains actually work. That's why President Barack Obama's plan to launch a 10-year research initiative to map the intricate connections in the brain that give rise to everything we think, see and feel is a welcome first step toward enlarging our understanding of this amazing organ.

Having survived a subdural hematoma, which occurred in July of 2007, the article about Austin Story's traumatic brain injury was the first thing I read Tuesday morning ("Kids make up largest group with traumatic brain injuries," Nov. 9). Although my profile is very different from Austin's, our trip through recovery is very much the same. These thoughts go out to Austin, his family, and the many others that have experienced a traumatic brain injury: It is a long, strange trip, but the brain is a fluid and amazing organ.

The White House proposed a sweeping new initiative Tuesday to map the individual cells and circuits that make up the human brain, a project that will give scientists a better understanding of how a healthy brain works and how to devise better treatments for injuries and diseases. "There is this enormous mystery waiting to be unlocked," said President Barack Obama of the project unveiled at a White House ceremony packed with scientists. Called the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies Initiative, the program would be funded with an initial $100 million from the president's fiscal 2014 budget, which the White House is to release next week.

Earlier this month a Texas Rangers sportscaster went from calling live highlights of a baseball game to talking about a botched robbery. The sportscaster's incoherent switch confused listeners, but doctors saw the symptoms of aphasia, a disease not known to many but which affects 1 million people. It is more common than Parkinson's disease, cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy, according to the National Aphasia Association. The disorder weakens the expression and understanding of spoken language, making it difficult for someone to read, write and say what they mean.

Doctors have called Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' recovery so far nothing short of spectacular. But as she begins rehabilitation at a facility in Houston, many Maryland experts on traumatic brain injury caution that what awaits her is a long, arduous road full of uncertainties. The work of retraining the brain after a severe gunshot wound like the one Giffords sustained two weeks ago can take years, beginning with months of intensive speech, occupational and physical therapy to teach the Arizona congresswoman to master basic functions many of us take for granted: dressing herself, eating and, perhaps, uttering a few words.

Stephanie Strunge recalls the late-night wail of an ambulance siren. Jim Strunge remembers hearing the low-flying helicopter.But the Towson couple never suspected their teen-age son's life was in jeopardy until the phone rang an hour later, triggering every parent's nightmare -- a message that their child was being airlifted to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore."

Thank you for The Sun's recent article on traumatic brain injury ("Brain injury: recovery and a lift of rediscovery," Sept. 19). As medical technology improves, stories like that of Alan Forman will increasingly be the norm, which is a message of hope for the 6,000 Marylanders each year who suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI). It is important, however, to note that Maryland's funding commitment to persons with TBI has not kept pace with the miracles of technology. Currently, our state's budget includes no line for TBI. Persons injured before the age of 22 may be eligible for funding through the Developmental Disabilities Administration.

The death of 45-year-old Natasha Richardson last week from what had been labeled a "mild brain injury" after a skiing accident has experts in trauma warning the public to take a blow to the head seriously. An autopsy confirmed the actress, who fell on the slopes, died of an epidural hematoma, which is bleeding between the skull and the outer layer that covers the brain called the dura. But doctors not involved in her care noted reports that said she initially refused treatment. It's not possible for those who didn't examine her to say faster treatment would have saved her. And death from such a seemingly minor accident is rare.

Each time Cathy Crimmins' husband reads about himself in her new book, it seems like an amazing story. The second time he read "Where is the Mango Princess?" Crimmins says he called from out of town to say some of it was excruciatingly embarrassing and, at the same time, he laughed. "Did that really happen?" he asked. As Crimmins tours on behalf of her new book, visiting Sinai Hospital tomorrow, her husband is reading it a third time. The boating accident that left him with a severe brain injury and what happened after he awoke from a deep coma is a story she tells him over and over, but he can't retain it. The biggest difference in a person after a traumatic brain injury is a lack of self awareness, Crimmins says.

A 20-year-old Baltimore man serving an 18-month prison sentence on drug distribution and gun convictions at a correctional facility in Cumberland was severely beaten there Monday and is now close to death, according to his family and state corrections officials. Jerod Pridget of East Baltimore was found unresponsive and with "severe head trauma" in his cell at the Western Correctional Institution just before noon Monday and was rushed to Western Maryland Regional Medical Center, officials said.

Three former NFL players living in Maryland have filed a suit against the league alleging it hid information about the long-term health effects of concussions and endangered players' lives by "mythologizing" violent hits. The class-action suit seeks more than $600 million in compensatory and punitive damages. The players join almost 4,000 peers in filing suit against the league , according to Paul D. Anderson, a lawyer who specializes in advocating for traumatic brain injury victims and retired NFL players' rights.

Once cheered as the sound of a good hit, the loud crack heard on the gridiron when two football helmets collide is more often greeted these days by gasps, as fans recognize the game- and potentially even season-ending injuries such jarring impacts can cause. Driven by concern for athletes' concussions, Naval Academy researchers have developed a relatively simple model for understanding how brain injuries occur in helmet-to-helmet hits. With further refinement, the model might help design more protective headgear for football players, according to Murray Korman, a physics professor at the Annapolis military college who directed the study.

Sinai Hospital of Baltimore announced Wednesday it has opened a 20-bed rehabilitation center to treat patients who have suffered brain injuries, strokes or other neurological disorders. The $7.7 million Louis and Phyllis Friedman Neurological Rehabilitation Center is located on the fifth floor of the hospital's South Tower. Features of the center include: • A dedicated nine-bed brain injury unit with the highest number of certified brain injury specialists in Maryland • A gym filled with the latest technology including a ZeroG gait and balance training system and the latest generation of training devices for visual perception • A simulated community called Greater Heights that helps facilitate patients' integration into their own community following discharge, featuring grocery store and bus stop settings  and an ATM  • A fully equipped home transition apartment that allows patients to replicate the activities they will be doing at home • Specially designed, private patient rooms that can be adjusted to a person's particular therapy needs to help control levels of stimulation The center was built with the help of a $2 million grant from the state of Maryland and a lead gift from Louis and Phyllis Friedman.

When Beth Kennedy's head hit the ice hard, she was stunned. The teen got up slowly, skated to her hockey team's bench and asked her rec league coach if she could sit out for a bit. But she returned to the heat of the tournament game a few minutes later. "As soon as it ended and I took my helmet off, I had this surging headache," Beth says of the March game. Still, no one questioned whether she had a concussion. Her mother, sitting high in the stands, didn't see what had happened when her daughter collided with another player, and she didn't recognize the warning signs of a brain injury.

In the days leading up to Friday's final cutdown, third-year linebacker Sergio Kindle was viewed as the highest-profile Raven on the roster bubble. But Kindle survived the final round of cuts for one main reason: his ability to get after the quarterback. “Sergio's potential as a pass rusher is something that's really important,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Tuesday. With Terrell Suggs out with an Achilles injury and rookie Courtney Upshaw still ailing with a sprained shoulder, the Ravens didn't feel they had the luxury of getting rid of a potential pass-rush threat.

WASHINGTON -- President Clinton yesterday signed into law the first federal initiative aimed at helping coma victims, providing millions of dollars to improve research and treatment and putting a national spotlight on brain-injury as a major health problem.Under the Traumatic Brain Injury Act, the federal government will earmark $24.5 million over the next three years to come up with a nationwide plan to deal with the medical needs of the 250,000 Americans each year who suffer severe head injuries.

Caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head, a traumatic brain injury can range from mild (known as a concussion) to severe, and can disrupt the way the brain normally works. Signs and symptoms of a brain injury can show up right after the injury or take several hours or days to appear. Although most people get better over time, it is important to know when and how to seek help. Dr. Beth Slomine of the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program at Kennedy Krieger Institute offers advice about head injuries: * Simple precautions can help you reduce the chances of having a traumatic brain injury.

As a defensive tackle, Poly coach Larry Webster experienced full-contact practice almost every day of his 20-year playing career, usually twice a day. It wouldn't be easy for the former Raven to adjust to coaching a football team that could soon be limited to hitting live only once or twice a week during the regular season, one of the steps being considered by a Maryland State Department of Education task force studying ways to prevent concussions in...

If the NFL is feeling pressure about facing hundreds of concussion-related lawsuits now, Troy Polamalu's startling admission Wednesday might have league officials feeling even more stressed about what the future holds. In a radio interview with Dan Patrick, the Pittsburgh Steeler's hard-hitting safety copped to having suffered at least eight or nine concussions during his career. And he added he expected the number to be higher by the time he retires. He also told Patrick that he had lied about having a concussion in order to get back into a game.