iHeart Cinci Podcast: UC expert discusses traumatic brain injuries

The University of Cincinnati's Brandon Foreman joined the iHeart Cinci Podcast to discuss traumatic brain injuries (TBI), including signs to look for and how to discuss the topic with your doctor.

While most people think of soldiers, boxers and football players experiencing TBIs that can lead to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), people who are victims of domestic violence can be an overlooked population at similar risk for long-term damage.

"Repetitive head injuries...tend to add up, and that cumulative effect is what creates this chronic symptomatology that we’re starting to see more and more in the press and in our patients," said Foreman, associate professor of neurology and associate director of neurocritical care research in the Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine in UC’s College of Medicine and a UC Health physician. 

Dizziness, headaches, fogginess and trouble concentrating are symptoms that could indicate a small traumatic brain injury, or concussion, Foreman said. Long term, repetitive brain injuries can lead to difficulty with memory, cognitive impairments and psychiatric disorders that can be similar to anxiety and depression.

Foreman said it is important for patients to discuss their history of head injuries with their doctors, as they could misdiagnose or recommend treatments that would not be as effective without the full picture.

"I think that history of repetitive injuries is really important to bring up initially and say, 'Look, this may be a number of things, but you should know I was involved in high contact sports, I was in the military, I’ve been in a relationship and I’m out now but there were repetitive head injuries,' and that might be the clue that more is needed, more work of potentially different therapies, and certainly support," Foreman said.

Listen to the iHeart Cinci Podcast interview. Note: Segment begins around 3:11 mark.

Featured photo at top of neurons. Photo/imaginima/iStock Photo.