[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 47 (Thursday, March 19, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E371-E372]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK

                                  _____
                                 

                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 19, 2015

  Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I stand today in celebration of the 20th 
anniversary of Brain Awareness Week and the importance of educating 
students and the general public on brain science in the United States 
and around the world. I'd like to highlight an issue that's important 
to me and the people of California's 14th District. Traumatic brain 
injury, known as TBI, affects over 1.7 million people in the United 
States each year and costs Americans almost $77 billion annually in 
direct and indirect medical costs. The effects of TBI on the brain vary 
greatly. TBI includes concussions, which may not show brain damage on 
an MRI, but can lead to headaches, fatigue, behavioral changes, and 
long-term effects on cognition or personality. More severe TBIs may 
lead to loss of consciousness for over 30 minutes, and can result in 
severe headaches, seizures, loss of motor coordination, and agitation. 
TBI can result from falls, car accidents, or due to combat trauma or 
athletics.
  TBI has been called the signature wound of the Iraq and Afghanistan 
wars, and many of the TBI cases from these wars are due to injury from 
Improvised Explosive Devises (IEDs). The DoD states that since 2000, 
more than 287,000 U.S. service members have sustained a TBI. Research 
indicates that TBIs are related to development of PTSD or major 
depression in veterans, and being able to accurately diagnose and treat 
TBI is an important step in caring for the mental and physical health 
of our veterans.
  TBI is also an issue in athletes of all levels, ranging from high 
school sports to professional sports. It is estimated that 300,000 
sports-related concussions occur each year. In recent years, repeated 
concussions in athletes have been shown to be related to chronic 
traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) that leads to increased irritability, 
and eventually dementia. Many people with traumatic brain injury never 
get diagnosed, and there are not reliable treatments available for 
those who do get diagnosed. Being able to accurately identify and then 
treat TBI is important for the health and long-term well-being of high 
school athletes, professional athletes, service members, and veterans.
  In an effort to improve diagnosis and treatment of TBI, the 
University of California, San Francisco is leading several federally-
funded research initiatives. UCSF will be directing an $18.8 million 
award from NIH that will support research on how to improve diagnosis 
and treatment for TBIs, which are frequently undiagnosed, misdiagnosed, 
and undertreated. UCSF has also received a $17 million Department of 
Defense award that aims to improve clinical trials for TBI which may 
lead to better treatments. Researchers will use data from thousands of 
patients to identify effective measures of brain injury and recovery 
using brain imaging, biomarkers, and other tools. This may lead to the 
first successful treatment of TBI.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing Brain Awareness Week 
and the contributions that thousands of dedicated scientists are making 
to unlock the mysteries behind the human brain.

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