We bear witness to many kinds of injuries. Indeed when watching sporting events, some injuries do not galvanize much attention other that an exclamation like “Oh that’s gotta hurt!” Inherent in this statement is the knowledge that the injury is likely to be temporary and the player will recover. However, watch the crowd’s reaction when a player suffers head trauma. There is rapt attention and an almost empathic reaction to the potential seriousness of the injury. The reaction is almost visceral in nature.

What do we know about the natural history of brain injuries? In this half hour we will be discussing the outcomes of concussions, acute trauma and bleeds within the skull, the effects of certain infectious diseases like meningitis and warning signs that people should be aware of after a blunt head trauma.

• Dr. Shawn Marshall, MD MSc FRCPC Medical Director, Acquired Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program at The Rehabilitation Centre, Elisabeth Bruyère Research Institute, Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa and CanDRIVE researcher.
• Dr. Pierre Turgeon, PhD. Professor and Academic Psychologist, University of Ottawa, (retired)
  Director, Clinical Programs, The Phoenix Network Inc and co-founder and president at the Wings of Pheonix Association.