Workers typically rely on plastic hard hat styles designed in the 1960s. But newer technology does a better job at protecting brains, especially from oblique impact caused by falls. Al Bello/Getty Images hide caption
Brain injuries
Actress Anne Heche attends the WIN Awards at Santa Monica Bay Womans Club on December 11, 2013 in Santa Monica, California. Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images hide caption
Following a traumatic brain injury, veteran Michael Schneider found that art and music therapy helped him manage his epilepsy and PTSD. Schneider explains that by playing music, he can prevent a seizure. Madeline Gray for NPR hide caption
Art and music therapy seem to help with brain disorders. Scientists want to know why
Everyday tasks — such as buttoning a shirt, opening a jar or brushing teeth — can suddenly seem impossible after a stroke that affects the brain's fine motor control of the hands. New research suggests starting intensive rehab a bit later than typically happens now — and continuing it longer — might improve recovery. PeopleImages/Getty Images hide caption
The Best Time For Rehabilitation After A Stroke Might Actually Be 2 To 3 Months Later
Among the topics discussed at the 2021 Alzheimer's Association International Conference were how doctors should think about prescribing the new drug Aduhelm and how COVID may affect the brain long-term. The Alzheimer's Association hide caption
A COVID-19 patient in the intensive care unit at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston on July 28. Go Nakamura/Getty Images hide caption
At Nashville's "High Five" camp, 12-year-old Priceless Garinger (center), whose right side has been weakened by cerebral palsy, wears a full-length, bright pink cast on her left arm — though that arm's strong and healthy. By using her weaker right arm and hand to decorate a cape, she hopes to gain a stronger grip and fine motor control. Blake Farmer/Nashville Public Radio hide caption
Research inspired by soccer headers has led to fresh insights into how the brain weathers hits to the head. Photo illustration by David Madison/Getty Images hide caption
MRI scans before and after a season of football showed brain changes in a study of high school players. groveb/Getty Images hide caption
Marines based in Okinawa, Japan, fire an M136 AT-4 rocket launcher as part of a weapons training exercise on the Kaneohe Bay Range Training Facility, in 2014. Lance Cpl. Matthew Bragg/U.S. Marines/DVIDS hide caption
U.S. Marines fire the Carl Gustav rocket system during live-fire training last October. With each firing, the shooter's brain is exposed to pulses of high pressure air emanating from the explosion that travel faster than the speed of sound. Sgt. Aaron Patterson/3rd Marine Division/DVIDS hide caption
Report To Army Finds Blast From Some Weapons May Put Shooter's Brain At Risk
Aaron Hernandez (81), of the New England Patriots, lost his helmet during this play against the New York Jets in 2011. Hernandez killed himself in 2017, and researchers found that he had had one of the most severe cases of CTE ever seen in someone his age. Elsa/Getty Images hide caption
Repeated Head Hits, Not Just Concussions, May Lead To A Type Of Chronic Brain Damage
Teens involved in contact sports were more likely to report concussions. Krista Long/Getty Images hide caption
Professional fighter Gina Mazany practices during a training session at Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts in Las Vegas. She well remembers her first concussion — which came in her first fight. "I was throwing up that night," Mazany says. Bridget Bennett for NPR hide caption
Female Athletes Are Closing The Gender Gap When It Comes To Concussions
Why Brain Scientists Are Still Obsessed With The Curious Case Of Phineas Gage
After A Stroke At 33, A Writer Relies On Journals To Piece Together Her Own Story
Charles Mayer, 30, of San Diego survived an IED attack while serving in Iraq in 2010, but has suffered from complications including PTSD. Stuart Palley for NPR hide caption
War Studies Suggest A Concussion Leaves The Brain Vulnerable To PTSD
The Gray Team with Maj. Jennifer Bell (center), who ran a concussion clinic, seen in the Helmand province of Afghanistan in 2010: Col. Michael Jaffee (from left) , Capt. James Hancock, Col. Geoffrey Ling, Lt. Col. Shean Phelps and Col. Robert Saum. Courtesy of Christian Macedonia hide caption
How A Team Of Elite Doctors Changed The Military's Stance On Brain Trauma
Nurses Katherine Malinak and Amy Young lift Louis DeMattio, a stroke patient, out of his hospital bed using a ceiling-mounted lift at the Cleveland Clinic. Dustin Franz for NPR hide caption
People With Brain Injuries Heal Faster If They Get Up And Get Moving
Patients with certain kinds of brain damage can wind up with locked-in syndrome: they may be able to think just fine, but are unable to communicate their thoughts to others. A recently published case study shows that a non-invasive brain-computer interface can help. iStockphoto hide caption
From Brain To Computer: Helping 'Locked-In' Patient Get His Thoughts Out
Researchers have only recently been able to use brain scans to detect Alzheimer's risk factors in living people. iStockphoto hide caption
The brain of former NFL star Junior Seau, who committed suicide last year, showed signs of the kind of neurodegenerative disease associated with repetitive head trauma. Elsa/Getty Images hide caption