Brain Injury Law Blog : Head Injury : Coma : Personal Injury : Las Vegas Nevada Lawyer & Attorney Tim Titolo

Free Video Lecture: Memory and the Brain

Taught by Jeanette Norden Vanderbilt University Ph.D., Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

It's almost impossible to accurately describe the power and importance of memory. Whether you're fondly reminiscing over an event from a childhood vacation, quickly memorizing a phone number or address, or learning a new skill on the job, memory is so interwoven into our everyday lives that we can sometimes take it for granted. So how does memory actually work?

Modern neuroscience has uncovered a wealth of new insights into the fascinating ways our brains create and harness the power of memory, so that understanding this process is no longer a mystery. The key to memory lies in the dynamic nature of the synapses in our brains—a feature known as synaptic plasticity. Far from being static structures, these synapses are able to be continually shaped and reshaped by everyday experiences.

In Memory and the Brain, you explore

• the different categories of memory;
• the areas of the brain involved in creating and shaping memories; and
• the ways that our synapses change based on experiences in the world.

Watch this free video lecture and delve into the fascinating science behind how your brain works to create and use memories.

Click here to watch the video.

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 On January 23, 2009, a woman I will call “Sally,” was enduring the Las Vegas Recession with her husband “Bill.” It was very hard. Their home was foreclosed and they were forced to live in a Budget Suites on Rancho Boulevard in North Las Vegas. The area had high crime activity and Budget Suites was an open-style campus. They moved into Budget a month earlier.

On the particular Friday morning, Sally woke early and stepped out of her small 2 room unit to smoke a cigarette. While standing outside of her unit she was brutally attacked by a trespasser. She does not remember the specifics of the attack but recalls being hit in the face. Her teeth were knocked out and she remembers seeing them with blood pouring out of her mouth while on her knees on the ground.

At the instant she was attacked, Sally’s dog, who was locked in the bedroom portion of the unit with Bill who was sleeping, began barking and trying to scratch her way to where she heard Sally’s attack. This caused the would-be burglars to flee the scene. They were never found or identified.

Budget Suites did not have adequate security. No security cameras, fences, gates, or patrols and only one security officer on the 17 acre campus.

Sally sustained traumatic brain injury and spinal injury in the attack and is permanently unable to walk without the assistance of a walker. Sally and Bill’s lives have been dramatically changed since January 23, 2009.

I became involved in the couple’s case later that year. Budget Suites denied responsibility for the injury and forced the couple to file a lawsuit. The medical bills for Sally exceeded $300,000 and Budget only offered $15,000 to compensate her. The trial began over two and a half years later and lasted five weeks. The couple was awarded over $4,000,000.

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 The Brain Injury Association is conducting its 2012 Brain Injury Business Practice College in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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I came across this announcement while reviewing upcoming conferences.  I have worked with the excellent physicians at Craig Hospital.

Craig Hospital 2012 Brain Injury Summit

A Meeting of the Minds
January 9-11, 2012
Beaver Creek, Colorado

Craig Hospital invites you to join us in one of North America’s most popular winter venues for a state-of-the-art continuing education experience designed for professionals committed to enhancing the lives of persons with brain injury and their families. Please visit the official conference website at:

http://www.braininjurysummit2012.org.

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The Center for Disease Control, with the support of the National Football League, has created a FREE program online for health care professionals.  The course teaches what these professionals need to know about concussion among young athletes.  The intent to is educate professionals in recognizing, diagnosing and treating head injures from sports activities.  This important information has become a hot button issue in primary and secondary education as well as in professional sports.

An overview of the course content is to:

• Examine current research on what may be happening to the brain after a concussion
• Understand why young people are at increased risk
• Explore acute concussion assessment and individualized management of young athletes to help prepare for diagnosing and managing concussions
• Learn about the 5-Step Return to Play progression and helping athletes safely return to school and play
• Focus on prevention and preparedness to help keep athletes safe season-to-season
• Receive continuing education credits through the American College of Sports Medicine

To view the course or for more information, visit: www.cdc.gov/Concussion.

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