Football Concusson Injuries - Is it Hype or Reality?

On 2 May 2012, Tiaina Baul "Junior" Seau Jr. took his life.  It is alleged that he  killed himself because of the repeated Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) he received from playing professional football.  Seau shot himself in the chest, and his family donated his intact brain for autopsy.

Seau was a linebacker in the National Football League. He had a reputation for the intensity of his playing style.  His career achievements included being a 10-time All-Pro, 12-time Pro Bowl selection, and named to the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team.

With the passage of time since Junior Seau's death, other deaths plus issues such as dementia, and Alzheimer's Disease, whose connection was suspected to have been linked to TBI have come to light.  Such connections may, or may not bode well for the NFL who, just last year donated $30 million to the NIH for TBI Research.  FRONTLINE is posting this documentary based on research in an upcoming book by Mark Fainaru-Wada and his brother Steve Fainaru.

Here is an excerpt from the book jacket; 

" Everyone knew that football is violent and dangerous. But what the players who built the NFL into a $10 billion industry didn’t know – and what the league sought to shield from them – is that no amount of padding could protect the human brain from the force generated by modern football; that the very essence of the game could be exposing these players to brain damage.
 
In a fast-paced narrative that moves between the NFL trenches, America’s research labs and the boardrooms where the NFL went to war against science, League of Denial examines how the league used its power and resources to attack independent scientists and elevate its own flawed research -- a campaign with echoes of Big Tobacco’s fight to deny the connection between smoking and lung cancer. It chronicles the tragic fates of players like Hall of Fame Pittsburgh Steelers center Mike Webster, who was so disturbed at the time of his death he fantasized about shooting NFL executives; and former Chargers great Junior Seau, whose diseased brain became the target of an unseemly scientific battle between researchers and the NFL. ..."
 
This FRONTLINE story airs Tomorrow evening - on Albuquerque's PBS Affiliate, KNME at 8:00 PM.

Clearly, this documentary has the potential to incite passions - both pro and con.  Nonetheless, the focus of your response ought to be on issues surrounding the biology of trauma. Opinions are welcome, just make sure your arguments are supported with research - particularly if you are going to be passionate about it. 

Endnote: Feedback Response credits for a review of this Documentary will depend upon how in-depth you make your response.

A 1200-1500 word book-review will meet the 5 point Feedback Response requirement.  If you elect to exercise that option, just e-mail me, to let me know of your intent.

Cooperation and collaboration - what is possible when people work toward a common goal

I hope to see someone try this in the SAMS cafeteria some time soon.

You kids amaze me.

Science Connections for you to consider:

• Neurobiology
• Mirror Neurons
• Neural Pathways
• Sound transmission
• Neuromuscular synchronization
• Vocalization

Aside:  I've been following Kia Grannis for probably 5 years, when she was just a kid.  You ought to look up her Valentine song - click here.  Also, her cover of Rhianna's, Disturbia - click here - is also pretty neat.  And one of her first covers was Jason Mraz',  "I'm Yours"  - click here.  I am glad she is finally realizing the success she deserves.  Let's see if anyone reads this far...

Meet your Brain: How we are wired for learning

Practice makes Perfect: Neuromodulation , How a Fly Brain can Make You Smarter

Here is some fascinating information that discusses neurobiology of a fly's brain.  Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of this video is how it relates to how the brain processes information.  From a purely biological perspective, Michael Dickenson's Ted Talk is fascinating because it demonstrates something electrical about the learning process;  establishing a neural pathway is how the brain 'learns.'  

Dickenson's  research seems to imply that repetitive processes rely on established multiplexes of neurons that fire in a set pattern.  To that end, it makes sense, that when a person learns something, part of that process involves practice until a neural pathway has been burned.  It explains why we practice makes perfect.

It also tells me that making mistakes is a critical component of the learning process.  Learning is about fine-tuning our mistakes until we reach a point considered to be satisfactory.  Thus, regardless of whether we are on  BMX bike, snowboarding, or memorizing PEMDAS, or memorizing y=mx+b, or even learning how to tie one's shoes, it all involves practice & making errors.  This tends to explain why wisdom tends to come with age and experience.  Old people have the potential to be wiser simply because they have had more of a chance to make mistakes!  Now that is a fascinating thought!

Here is the take-away; learning is the process of developing and establishing set neural pathways through trial and error.  Moreover, those who fine tune an action or thought process are neuromodulating.  

The better we neuromodulate is proportional to the amount of errors we make.  The more mistakes we make, the smarter we become.

Conclusion:  Make as many mistakes as you can, but make yourself aware of those mistakes, because when you do, you will fine-tune your ability to develop more refined neural pathways as you build on past experiences.  

In other words: You can only become an expert if you give yourself the opportunity to make mistakes.

Upcoming Epidemic & The World's Aging Population

Nothing is Impossible...

"Just because I can't do it today, doesn't mean I'm not be able to do it some day..."

I watched this video and wondered how this could have anything in the world to do with science?  It came upon me that the power of the Human Mind is precisely what science has not yet completely tapped into.  More than that, I decided to post this video because it represents all that is good about the Human spirit.  

Lest we forget, many of us come from varied walks of life.  None the less, we all share a connectedness; our Humanity.  This post is important because it reminds me that we all face challenges.  Coming to a new school and adapting to a whole new way of learning has been your challenge, and each of you have come way with varied results.  I am impressed  because - to a person - you are proving that you have what it takes to be successful.  I admire the resolve each of you has demonstrated in this endeavor.  For what might have appeared impossible has become merely routine for each of you.  

To be certain, there is always room for improvement, but at least for me, that means there is hope, because the measure of any given person is not based upon whatever limitations have been put upon them.  It is gauged by their willingness to face those challenges.  It is based upon their refusal to quit despite the odds.  

Since Scientists have already discovered the existence of mirror neurons which account for our ability to mimic behavior, videos such as this are invaluable because they provide patterns which our brains are able to recognize and process.  Regardless of our present inability to vet out the nuances of how this happens at this point in Human history, I am willing to settle for a descriptive such as, 'inspirational' until which time we do grasp precisely what happens when we see fellow Human Beings meet their challenges and realize that we too can follow suit.

Undoubtedly, there are neural pathways being tapped into - through both sight and sound, through musical rhythms, and harmonies that we are only beginning to understand.  And that is what is most compelling to me; I may not understand all the complexities, but it is fascinating what role emotion plays in helping us to prevail over adversity, our ability to make connections and feel a sense of happiness for a complete stranger. 

Never mind that this gentleman's vestibular system and metabolic capacity is dramatically altered through Yoga - truly impressive - and yet, so much more is happening than the physics of motion, or potential and kinetic energy transformations as related to human movement, or the vectors tied to kinesthetic learning and its relationship to robotics etc.  The list could go on and on...  

Thus, my fellow students, regardless of how nebulous this 'inspirational' this video appears at first blush, I am confident your generation will make significant inroads to understanding the components and the roles they play in driving us to do more, discover more and be all that we are capable of being.

"Never give up"

The Power of Music - The Power of Understanding

Oliver Sachs MD*, the narrator in this video is a Medical Doctor who specializes in, and has devoted his entire career to neuroscience; study how the brain works.  He has written several popular books - some have even made it into the New York Times Best Seller List.  

This Video offers insight to how the brain is wired.  I believe the most compelling message that I can take away after watching this elderly gentleman is that we Humans know so very little about how the brain functions.  That said, this video also shows me there is hope that we may some day come to understand the complexities of the brain.  It also illustrates how people can devote their lives to helping one another - and more importantly - that anyone with a genuine desire can bring about significant changes in the lives of others.  In this case, it was a Recreatonal Therapist who found a way to help a fellow Human Being - the gentleman named, Henry.

Neurobiology, the science of nerve cells - the tissue components that make up our nervous system - is a rapidly developing field.  And, researchers-turned-writers, like Oliver Sachs have popularized the topic by discussing why we do what we do.  

As a teacher - and because of my curiosity about why things work - I look at this video and wonder how I can apply such findings to my students.  I reach many conclusions.  Here are just three:

1]  All brains work the same - therefore when I see a phenomenon like using music to reach into the mind of someone who suffers, it helps me to understand that there are generalized lessons we can take away regarding how we process information.  In a very real way, seeing this offers hope where once there was none.

2]  I realize that different people respond differently to different stimuli.  Which causes me to wonder if there is something in music, or maybe even just in the way I can approach my students, other fellow Human Beings or creatures in order to make connections that will have positive outcomes.

For instance, in education, a big buzzword term is, "differentiated instruction" which simply means finding ways to teach students according to their need - in other words, customizing the learning process on an individualized basis with the intent of helping a student learn in ways that are easiest for that student.

3]  Communication is über important.  If I understand that thinking, or developing special talents is basically like a having a set of well-traveled pathways developed in the mind, then what are the best ways to develop pathways?  Could it be repetition?  Could it be teaching my students to understand?  How about emotions, and how my students are feeling?  How much does that have to do with helping a student to learn?  Is it better to have a calm student?  How does making learning seem like fun help students to retain information?  

The truth is that I use a lot of Neurobiological concepts and findings to help my students learn.  This is why I never humiliate or yell at my students. This is why I use Youtube videos and music to get into my students' brains.  This is why I use, "the three H's"; High Fives, Hand-shakes and Hugs.  Maybe it should be the Five H's - because Humor and Happiness are critical for optimizing a teacher-student relationship as well ...just a thought...  This is why I practice calm, happy, even goofy behavior that I want my students to model.  

I use this relaxed teaching approach because I am convinced a happy, relaxed student is more apt to learn.  I have made a conscious decision to take my time whenever I am helping a student learn a difficult concept.  I want my students to realize that when we are calm is when we are most likely to develop a deep understanding of a very difficult concept.  I do so because a student that feels respected, calm - even loved - is most likely to flourish in school, and more importantly, Life.  

It is fairly common knowledge that people mimic behaviors, so a child that has been treated with respect will be respectful.  A child treated with kindness learns how to be kind.  

Conversely, a child that has not been valued will not be very pleasant to be around.  To my way of thinking, such a child should not be shunned but rather, understood - because bad behaviors can be changed and people will be just about whatever we expect them to be.

And so, my fellow Human Beings, whether we are teachers or students, let us make as many connections as possible - not only with what we are learning, but - with one another and everything on the planet.  

It is said that knowledge is power.  If that is so, then the most powerful tool we have is understanding, and understanding is nothing more than learning.

Learning is life and Life is learning. 

Always do your best, and never quit.
Mr. M.

*NOTE:  If you see a different colored word in the text, this means it is a link.  You can click on these links for further information on the highlighted word, topic or phrase.  You can then click on the back arrow at the top of your screen to bring you back to this article.