Brains in the News: 9/12/2014

     A 24 year old woman in China was discovered to have no cerebellum. The cerebellum is the part of the brain that is responsible for motor functions i.e. walking, locomotion; word formation via the tongue, teeth and mouth; and may also be indicated in some cases of epilepsy. The woman, considered to be mildly developmentally delayed, walked and talked late. She had balance problems her whole life and a slur quality to her words. In spite of her difficulties, she is married and has one child.

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/09/12/where-my-brain-woman-missing-cerebellum-went-unnoticed-for-24-years/

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/09/12/newser-brain-cerebellum-missing/15504297/

http://www.businessinsider.com/a-womans-brain-is-missing-a-cerebellum-2014-9

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/woman-found-to-be-missing-cerebellum/

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/09/11/a-woman-reached-the-age-of-24-and-no-one-realized-she-was-missing-a-large-part-of-a-vital-organ/

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22329861.900-woman-of-24-found-to-have-no-cerebellum-in-her-brain.html#.VBNzvvm-2o8




     C.N.N. Health has a list of ten apps that are thought to help with brain training at http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/09/health/brain-training-apps/. I cannot vouch for them as I have not tried them. What I will say is that I've found Tetris, exercise, and patterns to be best for me in terms of helping my brain function well. I also need a schedule-- something that I've always resisted. You?


     A Boston internist discusses her brain abnormalities due to multiple sclerosis and her feelings about it at http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2014/09/making-peace-with-my-abnormal-brain. Definitely worth a read for anyone interested. I know it's not "traumatic brain injury" but I think some of us might like to know about other brain drains besides our own.


     A sad story from Morrow, Ohio. A high school football player injured in a crash has now been declared brain dead. http://www.wlwt.com/news/little-miami-school-district-says-injured-student-is-brain-dead/28031170. Yeah, we all have problems but we do have the distinct advantage of being alive.


     Professional football players have a higher than average incidence of brain trauma and long-term neurological defects and diseases than are present in the general population as reported at http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/13/sports/football/actuarial-reports-in-nfl-concussion-deal-are-released.html. I have no yearning to play football myself although I did have to be forbidden by a chirodoc from entering a contest. The contest involved sliding down a hill full of snow in a box. The prize was a trip to Aruba. That might have been nice to win but the chirodoc just stared at me and said no way. 


     Tufts U reports that brains can be trained to prefer healthy food over crap. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/sep/12/train-your-brain-eating/. I figure there might be something to that. I've been endeavoring to lose my sweet tooth for some years now. There are small indicators of partial but not complete success. I do like to exercise now and that is certainly something.


     Finally, the folks from Time [magazine, but on-line] tell us that children from South Africa are at highest risk for fetal alcohol syndrome. Babies are born with that when their mothers drink during pregnancy. How much a mother would have to drink is unclear. http://time.com/3342053/this-is-your-childs-brain-on-alcohol/. 

     The title of the article is misleading. I was expecting yet another primer on why adolescents "should not drink."

     A couple of things about the relationship of addiction-- whether limited to alcohol or including any and all drugs-- to traumatic brain injury: The probability of addiction goes up after a t.b.i. Those of us who are in recovery have a higher probability of relapse for a couple of years after a t.b.i. I managed to escape relapse because I increased the stuff I do in order to remain clean from active addiction.

     I appreciate that no one likes the suggestion that one ought not to do something or other because of some risk factor. I certainly don't like that stuff either. I gently urge you to not drink alcohol or use street drugs for the first couple of years after your traumatic brain injury or acquired brain injury [such as stroke]. If there is any question about your level of consumption or ability to control what happens when you do party, I urge you to get screened for addiction. An active addiction problem hinders getting the best recovery that we can get for our brains after a t.b.i. or a.b.i.

     So that's all for now!  ~ sapphoq healing brain damage