Does american football unavoidably lead to brain damage over time? Does a culture favoring perseverance at the expense of well being begin in high school?
posted by phrontist on Oct 13, 2009 - 96 comments

"Elke Wisbey, 6, was born with brain damage and cannot walk or speak. After her community raised funds to purchase a state of the art communication device for Elke, the little girl was able to use tiny eye movements to speak her first words through the machine: 'I love you.'"
posted by An Infinity Of Monkeys on Oct 31, 2008 - 17 comments

Unusual penetrating brain injuries, via neurophilosophy. [more inside]
posted by farishta on May 27, 2008 - 42 comments

Blogger analysis of Terri Schiavo's CAT Scan. Healthy brain. Terri Schiavo's brain.
posted by fandango_matt on Mar 23, 2005 - 105 comments

Speaking Of weight loss and exercise... Those who like their booze also like their nicotine. People who drink to excess also tend to be chronic smokers, and a new report suggests the combination of the two might prove more toxic than either one alone. a small study found chronic smoking + alcohol dependence = increased severity of brain damage. The frontal lobes (short-term storage sites) turn out to be the most damaged. A separate study used rats to show that alcoholism and excessive food intake may share the same chemical pathways in the brain. Forbes has the HealthDayNews report that focuses mainly on the smokes, MSNBC looks more at the eats. They also have an interesting Addictions Sections. Could it be that some folks are just prone to addictions and everyone settles on something different?
posted by Blake on Dec 17, 2004 - 21 comments

In the can-anything-else-go-wrong file, US Troops suffer from permanent brain damage after being administered malaria treatment. For as big a logistical challenge a war might be, and technological advances in mass support systems, you'd think the joint-forces would do a better job?
posted by omidius on May 27, 2004 - 11 comments

Neoroscience and wireless communication An apparently non-hysterical warning from scientist Leif Salford, who cautions that by using hand-held cellular devices we're conducting "the largest human biological experiment ever."

According to the Independent (UK) article, it's been proven that microwave radiation opens 'the blood-brain barrier, allowing a protein called albumin to pass into the brain.' Lund's latest work 'goes a step further, showing the process is linked to serious brain damage.'

That in turn causes ... uh, what was I writing about? I forget.

Sorry. Seriously, is there anyone in the room competent to comment on the validity of this warning? (Via Gizmodo)
posted by mojohand on Sep 14, 2003 - 15 comments

Brain tumor suspect guilty, again. A follow-up to this, wherein a man tried to blame his brain tumor for his walking uninvited into his neighbors' house and getting into bed with the wife, who freaked when she realized what was going on. Last week, he was convicted of stalking. On Monday, the judge convicted him of sexual abuse and burglary. The previous story left some unanswered questions. I can't answer all of them, but there's more info inside.
posted by diddlegnome on Feb 7, 2002 - 2 comments

Headcheese?! According to Wired's Infoporn, if you are the unlucky sap who own's an analog Sanyo SCP-4000 the you run the risk frying yoru brain. Perhaps if we all looked to the future for handy solutions, our problems would be solved.
posted by Brilliantcrank on Sep 13, 2000 - 8 comments