In the News: Shedding Light on Brain Injuries
As attorneys handling serious personal injury claims, some of our most devastating cases are those involving head trauma. In different arenas, head injuries have made dramatic headlines in recent months.
In April, President Obama announced the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) project. With initial funding of $100 million from public and private agencies, President Obama launched an ambitious research project to map the circuitry of the human brain and to develop new tools and techniques to treat traumatic brain injuries and brain conditions like epilepsy, autism and Alzheimer’s disease.
Similarly the European Union announced the Human Brain Project (HBP), a ten-year research program aimed at developing computational models and studies of the human brain.
These studies aid people dealing with traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). A class action lawsuit brought by former players in the National Football League was settled in late August. The legal action raised awareness of the dangers of head injuries in contact sports and sought compensation for former players suffering concussion-related injuries, including:
- Dementia
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
- Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)
In settling the action, the NFL agreed to distribute $765 million on a sliding scale to approximately 4,500 retired players with proven cognitive injuries. The NFL admitted no responsibility, nor did it reveal when it was first aware repetitive head trauma could lead to permanent brain damage.
Hopefully, the research programs help medical science find ways to cure TBIs and other debilitating brain conditions. Time will tell. Se habla español.