Originally aired on November 6, 2007.
Tom Fudge: Brain injuries are something we've learned a little bit more about in recent years. Traumatic brain injuries have been very common among American soldiers and marines in Iraq who have been hit by explosions. And American sports are said to cause hundreds of thousands of brain injuries or concussions every years.
These Days listeners know that this is a subject that I've had some experience with this year. In April, I was hit by a car as I was riding my bike to work. The result for me was a concussion, some bleeding in my brain, temporary impairment of short-term memory, sleep problems and nerve pain.
For many people, it's much worse. In fact, some professional football players suffer early dementia, which doctors believe is due to multiple concussions on the playing field. We're going to spend the rest of this hour talking about brain injuries.
Guests
- Dr. William Perry , professor of psychiatry at the UCSD School of Medicine and president of the National Academy of Neuropsychology .
- Dr. Ruben Echemendia, director of the Psychological Clinic at Penn State University for 15 years and now works in full-time independent practice . He is also the president-elect of the National Academy of Neuropsychology .
