There is no question that brain injuries can change lives. Residents of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who are inflicted with them, could suffer symptoms such as headaches, cognitive issues and personality changes for years to come. Those who live with individuals recovering from a traumatic brain injury are impacted as well as they have to learn to adapt to the changes the injury causes in a loved one. Because of the many ways in which brain injuries impact society, determining how to prevent and treat them it is a key area of research around the world. 

Earlier this year researchers in Sweden indicated that genetics could play a role in how a brain handles an injury. The research suggests that a person’s genes could have more to do with this than how many times someone is hit in the head. If this theory is confirmed it is possible that blood tests could one day be used to determine how well someone might respond to a head injury. This information might then inform decisions regarding what activities one engages in. 

Though, as recent legal action regarding brain injuries taken by players against the NFL and NHL illustrates, brain injuries might be suffered in the course of athletic pursuits, this is not the only situation in which a concussion or traumatic brain injury may be inflicted. Such injuries are suffered in motor vehicle crashes and workplace accidents that are the result of the negligence of others, as well. In these situations it is possible that someone who suffered a brain injury might seek compensation for the injury from the parties responsible for the incent that inflicted it.

Source: Washington Post, “Finding a link between genes and brain injury: Are some people predisposed to trauma?,” Eric Niiler, May 5, 2014