Re: Radiation effects on the brain?

[Marty Jamieson <mlj007@yahoo.com>]

Jonathan:

Saint Jude Hospital in Memphis, Tenessee has in the
past (and maybe presently) exposed children to full
body doses of radiation to kill every single bone
marrow stem cell in their bodies for treatment of some
kinds of childhood leukemia.  Once I talked to a
medical doctor who worked at St. Jude Hospital and
asked him about any such brain deterioration and he
said that any such brain deterioration was so small
that he had never noticed it or detected it.

St. Jude Hospital may also know about more intense
doses of radiation to the brain for treatment of brain
tumors, and you may be able to find what you would
like to know from them.

Marty Jamieson

--- jonathan.fortkamp@us.abb.com wrote:
> 
> 
> I am looking for information about the biological
> effects of radiation on the
> human brain, not including tumor/cancer induction.
> 
> A little background...a friend's son has a very
> serious brain condition in which
> his brain is essentially deteriorating.  There is no
> name for this condition,
> but similar conditions have been identified in other
> people.  I do not know many
> of the physiological details, but he has lost or is
> losing many physical
> abilities (vision, extremity muscle control, etc). 
> The condition is not a
> cancer or tumor.  He is currently being treated at
> the Ohio State University
> Medical Center and they are unable to identify the
> cause or slow the process.
> 
> Now I know this is a significant stretch, but he was
> in Lithuania during and
> after the Chernobyl incident.  I haven't found any
> information about the fallout
> radiation and contamination levels in Lithuania as a
> result of the explosion,
> however I suspect they are pretty small.
> 
> Nonetheless, this person's condition is getting very
> critical and we are
> struggling to find some solutions.  We need to stop
> whatever is killing him very
> fast.  My knowledge of the biological effects of
> radiation says that this
> condition is not likely a result of radiation
> exposure.  However, I am not an
> expert in that field and I was hoping to find some
> experts on RADSAFE.
> 
> Please respond privately or to the group if you feel
> the information is of
> worth.
> 
> Thanks in advance for all information.
> 
> Jonathan Fortkamp
> 
> 
>
___________________________________________________________
> Jonathan C. Fortkamp, Ph.D.
> Corporate Radiation Safety Officer
> ABB Automation Inc.
> voice:    614-261-2337
> fax: 614-261-2337
> email:    jonathan.fortkamp@us.abb.com
> 
> 
>
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