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Veteran's Beat: Research may benefit veterans, others with head injuries

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by Ron Seman

Athletes and soldiers who suffer a traumatic brain injury on the battlefield may benefit from research being conducted by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Center for the Study of Traumatic encephalopathy at Boston University School of Medicine.

The research has provided the first pathological evidence of a link between repeated head injuries -- such as those experienced by athletes in contact sports such as boxing, football and hockey -- and a disease (chronic traumatic encephalomyopathy) that resembles amotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. The research will appear in the September issue of the Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology.

"This initial research shows great promise for further understanding what people go through after a traumatic brain injury, whether sustained on the battlefield, during a contact sport, or from other injury," said VA Secretary Eric Shinseki. "Advancing our knowledge in this area is the key to better treatment outcomes."

The brain has long kept scientists baffled, as its elaborate structure makes it uniquely difficult to study. Brain biopsies are too risky as general practice, and diagnostic images often fall short of providing the desired details for full understanding of brain function.

So, neurology researchers rely heavily on brain banks, including some housed at the Bedford VA Medical Center in Massachusetts, for collecting clues about the biological nature of brain-related medical conditions.

For the new study, Dr. Ann McKee and colleague at the CSTE examined the brain and spinal cords of 12 athletes donated by family members.

The researchers found that all 12 athletes showed evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a progressive neurodegenerative disease caused by; repetitive trauma to the brain. The condition can result in large accumulations of the proteins, killing cells in regions of the brain responsible for mood and emotions.

In addition to CTE, three of the athletes had been afflicted by motor neuron disease, with severe and progressive muscle weakness and deterioration for several years before their death. The brains from patients with CTE and motor neuron disease showed a unique pattern of tau and deposits of another protein, TDF-43, in the spinal cord and brain. The pattern was different from that found in the most common form of ALS.

Previous epidemiological studies have suggested a possible link between repetitive head trauma experienced by athletes and combat veterans and the development of motor neuron diseases such as ALS.

"This is the first pathological evidence that repetitive head trauma might be associated with the development of an ALS-like disease," said McKee. "Although much more work is necessary to completely understand this association, if repetitive head trauma can trigger this kind of neurodegeneration, then by studying the effects of repetitive mild brain trauma, we can learn about the early triggers of ALS and how to slow, reduce and reverse them.

"Future work based on these observations offers a significant opportunity to develop treatments to benefit veterans and all Americans well into the future," McKee said.

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Useful website: You can make your initial start in obtaining information about veterans benefits, entitlements, and a myriad of other information by visiting The Department of Veterans Home Page at www.va.gov.

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Appeals: If you do not like a VA decision, most can be appealed. Start by contacting the VA Regional Office in Cleveland, located downtown at East 9th Street and Lakeside Avenue. Appeals are first made to the office that made the decision. A hearing officer or decision review officer handles these cases. If the case is still in dispute it is then sent to the Board of Veterans Appeals. If it is not resolved there, it can be appealed outside the Department of Veterans Affairs to the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.

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Briefly: The American Legion will meet at its national convention, Aug. 28 to Sept. 2, in Milwaukee. The Summit Count stand-down is Sept. 14. Donations can be sent to the Summit County Council Commander Dale Luzader, 22 Wooster Street, Lodi 44254.

The Portage County Council will be on location at the Portage County Fair, Aug. 24 to 29. If you can volunteer to help staff the booth, contact Post 713 Commander Ed Stockli at 330-584-3693.

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Remember our men and women serving America in Iraq, Afghanistan and at other posts around the world. Fly Old Glory in their honor. Thanks! God Bless our troops and God Bless America.