Olympic Snowboarding Hopeful Critically Injured

[cali]

By JOHN BRANCH
Published: December 31, 2009



Pearce hit his head against the edge of the halfpipe and was knocked unconscious. He was flown to the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City, where doctors planned external ventricular drainage to relieve fluid buildup in the brain, according to Pearce’s mother, Pia.

Pearce, a 22-year-old from Norwich, Vt., was among many of the world’s top halfpipe riders in Park City preparing to compete next week in a competition at Mammoth Mountain, Calif., an event that will serve as part of the Olympic trials.

Pearce, a favorite to make the United States Olympic team, is the rare rider who has beaten the 2006 Olympic gold medalist Shaun White in head-to-head competitions the past couple of years.

Mike Jankowski, the Olympic halfpipe coach for the United States, said that Pearce was injured while trying a double cork, a supremely difficult trick — essentially a twisting double back flip — that most of the top men are trying to add to their repertory this season.

“He did it a little too hard, put a little too much oomph into it, and over-rotated on his second flip,” Jankowski said.

He said that Pearce seemed to strike the edge of the pipe just above his eye. He said that the preliminary diagnosis was for a “significant concussion.” A team trainer and medical director were with Pearce at the hospital.

Pearce’s father is Simon Pearce, one of the most renowned glass blowers in the world, whose Vermont-based company has retail outlets across the Northeast, including one on Park Avenue.

<snip>

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/01/sports/olympics/01snowboard.html

[glinda]

1. Healing thoughts for this kid.

[tridim]

2. Too bad he wont be able to smoke some herb in his recovery.

:eyes:

[cali]

3. wtf? the kid is in critical condition and that stupid comment is your response?

why respond at all?

[tridim]

9. Because I believe it would help in his recovery..

Unfortunately it's a banned substance.

Most snowboarders smoke pot, does that really surprise you?

[cali]

10. no, it doesn't surprise me.

but I know of no research that says that pot helps recovery from a tbi.

[tridim]

11. It's a stress reliever, an analgesic, an anti-inflammatory, and..

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071014163644.htm

Neuroprotection

The major endocannabinoid (2-AG) has been identified both in the central nervous system and in the periphery. Stressful stimuli -- traumatic brain injury (TBI) for example -- enhance brain 2-AG levels in mice. 2-AG, both of endogenous and exogenous origin, has been shown to be neuroprotective in closed head injury, ischemia and excitotoxicity in mice. These effects may derive from the ability of cannabinoids to act through a variety of biochemical mechanisms. 2-AG also helps repair the blood brain barrier after TBI.

The endocannabinoids act via specific cannabinoid receptors, of which the CB1 receptors are most abundant in the central nervous system. Mice whose CB1 receptors are knocked out display slower functional recovery after TBI and do not respond to treatment with 2-AG. Over the last few years several groups have noted that CB2 receptors are also formed in the brain, particularly as a reaction to numerous neurological diseases, and are apparently activated by the endocannabinoids as a protective mechanism.

Through evolution the mammalian body has developed various systems to guard against damage that may be caused by external attacks. Thus, it has an immune system, whose main role is to protect against protein attacks (microbes, parasites for example) and to reduce the damage caused by them. Analogous biological protective systems have also been developed against non-protein attacks, although they are much less well known than the immune system. Over the last few years the research group of Esther Shohami in collaboration with our group showed that the endocannabinoid system, through various biological routes, lowers the damage caused by brain trauma. Thus, it helps to attenuate the brain edema and the neurological injuries caused by it (Panikashvili et al., 2001; Panikashvili et al., 2006).

[Webster Green]

6. WTF does that even mean?

WTF?! :wtf:

[tridim]

8. Ask your avatar about it.

If it wasn't a banned substance he could use it to aid his recovery.

[City Lights]

4. What a shame.

Hope he has a full and speedy recovery.

[FourScore]

5. I wish for him a swift recovery.

I hope this boy is okay.

[Catshrink]

7. I had to read the subject line several times: My mind kept seeing "Olympia Snowe

in critcal condition." More caffeine might help my situation.

I hope Pearce recovers quickly.