Speaker Trisha Meili discussed coming to terms with brain injury.
The Friedman Brain Institute (FBI) in May cosponsored a program with the Brain Injury Research Center of Mount Sinai and the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine that focused attention on the little-known and -discussed incidence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in women. CTE is a neurotrauma-associated neurodegenerative condition that is most often found in males who are professional athletes and soldiers.
The program, held in Goldwurm Auditorium and hosted in conjunction with the nonprofit organization Pink Concussions, addressed the lack of research on CTE in women and highlighted its prevalence among females who sustain head trauma each year as a result of sports injuries, accidents, domestic violence, or military duty.
In his opening remarks, Eric Nestler, MD, PhD, Nash Family Professor of Neuroscience, Director of The Friedman Brain Institute, and Dean for Academic and Scientific Affairs, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, said, “We know that lack of knowledge and an inability to treat brain injury in women and girls is a major gap in the medical profession.”
Dr. Nestler noted that the FBI is a strong proponent of establishing diversity in neuroscience and the advancement of women and those who are underrepresented in science and medicine. “Cohosting this program,” he said, “adds a whole other dimension to this initiative and highlights the need for greater attention to the medical conditions that affect women and girls.”
Pink Concussions founder Katherine Price Snedaker, LCSW, said she began researching the subject of brain injury when one of her sons sustained five concussions from playing sports. After hearing from the mothers of daughters who were also repeatedly experiencing them, she created a support group, which ultimately led to the establishment of Pink Concussions in 2013.
Dara Dickstein, PhD, an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at the Icahn School of Medicine and a co-organizer of the event, presented research she is conducting that involves neuroimaging and the use of biomarkers to aid in the diagnosis of CTE during life. Currently, the only way CTE can be definitely diagnosed is through postmortem brain analysis at autopsy. Dr. Dickstein is studying the potential efficacy of an experimental radioactive tracer that binds to tau (proteins that build up in the brains of CTE sufferers) and shows up on PET scans, to help diagnose the condition during life.
At the Mount Sinai event, Yelena Goldin, PhD, Staff Neuropsychologist at Hackensack Meridian Health in Edison, N.J., explained that after reviewing thousands of studies on outcomes of traumatic brain injury, her team could find only 54 that factored sex and gender into their analyses. Additionally, Dr. Goldin said, there was no follow-up medical literature on female athletes in high school and college six months after they had recovered and were medically cleared to return to their sports.
One of the program’s speakers, a woman who experienced injuries to her head as a result of domestic violence, said the lack of medical or scientific research left her confused about her subsequent health problems, including menstrual issues, forgetfulness, depression, and anxiety. “At the time,” she said, “the only advice I got was that I would probably get some migraines.”
Kristen Dams-O’Connor, PhD, Director of the Brain Injury Research Center at the Mount Sinai Health System and a co-organizer of the event, said recent studies from her group have not revealed any connection between traumatic brain injury and Alzheimer’s disease, although they did find damage to small blood vessels and the presence of Lewy bodies—abnormal deposits of protein, which are implicated in Parkinson’s disease.
Plenary speaker Trisha Meili said the lack of a definitive link between TBI and Alzheimer’s was welcome news to her. In April 1989, Ms. Meili, a young investment banker, survived a brutal attack while jogging in Central Park. The attack—which included a life-threatening blow to her head—made headlines around the world.
During the program, Ms. Meili discussed her recovery and her life today. “Mentally, I will never be the same as I was before the brain injury,” she said. “Acknowledging this to myself, needless to say, is not a great feeling. But in another way, it gives me peace. I can live with it. I accept it. It’s a giant step in my healing.”