For the first time, scientists claim they have evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) found in a living patient. This would be a breakthrough in the research into the slowly progressive brain disease linked to repeated blows to the head. A study of 14 retired NFL players, published in the medical journal Neurosurgery, found that a signature protein of CTE, known as tau, forms around the damaged neural cells. Doctors diagnosed one of the players, unnamed in the study, with CTE. The player was later identified by the lead author of the study, Dr. Bennet Omalu, as Vikings linebacker Fred McNeill, who died of ALS in [...]

Research conducted at Lund University in Sweden revealed beneficial effects of gelatin following traumatic brain injury. The inherent ability of gelatin coatings to reduce adverse immune responses to neurological implants has been recognized for some time, but the explanation of why has been elusive. The researchers discovered that gelatin protected the blood brain barrier (BBB) from potentially damaging foreign molecules and cells, thus aiding recovery. The BBB consists of a collection of vessels that separate the blood circulation of the body from the sensitive brain. […]