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A Navy SEAL was convinced exposure to blasts damaged his brain, so he donated it to science to prove it (www.nbcnews.com)
submitted 2 years ago by to c/health@lemmy.world
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“We’re really at an infant stage in terms of our clinical ability to assess traumatic brain injury,” a medical expert said.

Before he ended his life, Ryan Larkin made his family promise to donate his brain to science.

The 29-year-old Navy SEAL was convinced years of exposure to blasts had badly damaged his brain, despite doctors telling him otherwise. He had downloaded dozens of research papers on traumatic brain injury out of frustration that no one was taking him seriously, his father said.

“He knew,” Frank Larkin said. “I’ve grown to understand that he was out to prove that he was hurt, and he wasn’t crazy.”

In 2017, a postmortem study found that Ryan Larkin, a combat medic and instructor who taught SEALs how to breach buildings with explosives, had a pattern of brain scarring unique to service members who’ve endured repeated explosions.

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[–] 41 points 2 years ago (3 children)

It's really interesting reading all the information coming out of rugby right now. It's changed so much over time.

From my memory it went.

Concussion can kill you but if you get up with no symptoms you're fine. If you have symptoms wait until they go away then you're fine.

If you get a concussion and get up and you are fine but have another concussion shortly after you can die. You just need rest and then you are fine.

If you don't get knocked out you might still have concussion.

Repeated concussions can cause permanent damage and that damage can stack and make you more prone to new ones.

You can get brain damage from non knocked out big hits. This can manifest itself years later

Then when shit really hit the fan. Basic bog standard training sessions where you have no negative symptoms can cause brain damage if you do them too often. This is where we are now. Maximum contact training is in place. Players are getting g force sensors in their gum shield.

I can see this going futher to having longer breaks in games with recovery periods. They have changed the rules a about as much as they can. Head guards will probably be mandatory soon.

Finally the game might even die. But I expect the risk of brain damage when managed is less than the pros that come partaking in the sport.

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