1) What we saw that we thought you should see too...

Blue Cross Blue Shield: The Health of America Report

The Steep Rise in Concussion Diagnoses in the U.S. 

Expansive news media coverage of football-related concussions and state legislation aimed at preventing participants of youth sports from "shaking off" signs of head injuries have coincided with a spike in the number of concussion diagnoses, according to Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) companies' medical claims data.

Concussion diagnoses increased 43 percent from 2010 through 2015 in the U.S. Additionally, concussion diagnoses spiked 71 percent for patients ages 10th rough 19 during the same time span. For this age group, the fall is peak concussion season, during which time a dramatic spike in diagnoses occurs for males. Concussion diagnoses for young males in the fall are nearly double that of young females. Even though concussion diagnoses for adults ages 20 through 64 increased 26 percent over the same time period, there
was little seasonal change compared to their younger counterparts.

The percentage of concussion patients across all ages diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome nearly doubled between 2010 and 2015. Throughout the study, post-concussion syndrome was diagnosed equally for both males and females ages 10 through 19 who suffered concussions. Females ages 20 through 64 who suffered concussions, however, were nearly 60 percent more likely to receive such a diagnosis than males.

To read the report,  CLICK HERE. 

2) Did you see this story?

'Space brain': Mars astronauts could experience long-term cognitive damage, study says

Copyright NASA

Humans could be heading to Mars as early as the 2030s, but the astronauts may not remember much of their trip. A new study suggests that those traveling to the Red Planet may experience long-term brain damage known as "space brain."

Trends Space exploration

The  study, conducted by researchers at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) and published in Nature's Scientific Reports journal, found that exposure to highly energetic charged particles - much like those found in the galactic cosmic rays which bombard astronauts during long space flights - cause long-term brain damage in rodents. That brain damage can result in serious cognitive impairments, including dementia.

To read the rest of the article,   CLICK HERE. 

To read the study, CLICK HERE. 

3)  We also thought you might be interested in this important study as well...

Brain changes seen in youth football players 

without concussion

Researchers have found measurable brain changes in children after a single season of playing youth football, even without a concussion diagnosis, according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology.

According to USA Football, there are approximately 3 million young athletes participating in organized tackle football across the country. Numerous reports have emerged in recent years about the possible risks of brain injury while playing youth sports and the effects it may have on developing brains. However, most of the research has looked at changes in the brain as a result of concussion.

"Most investigators believe that concussions are bad for the brain, but what about the hundreds of head impacts during a season of football that don't lead to a clinically diagnosed concussion? We wanted to see if cumulative sub-concussive head impacts have any effects on the developing brain," said the study's lead author, Christopher T. Whitlow, M.D., Ph.D., M.H.A., associate professor and chief of neuroradiology at Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C.

To read more about this CLICK HERE.

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