Tue Feb 15, 1:12 pm ET

One of the most memorable performances from Sunday night's Grammy broadcast was also one of the most terrifying: Serene Branson, an Emmy-nominated CBS entertainment reporter began speaking gibberish during the network's post-Grammy newscast. However, after initial fears that Branson may have suffered a stroke on-air, she is reportedly doing OK.

"She was examined by paramedics on scene immediately after her broadcast. Her vital signs were normal. She was not hospitalized," the CBS affiliate that employs Branson said in a statement posted late Monday on its website. "As a precautionary measure, a colleague gave her a ride home. And while Serene says she is feeling better today, she wants us to know she followed-up with a visit to the doctor for some medical tests."

Nevertheless, the unfortunate incident, which went viral on YouTube Monday but has since been removed from the site, left viewers wondering what exactly happened, and whether they had indeed witnessed a stroke on the air. You can watch a video of the difficult moment here, courtesy of ABC News:
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Recent research from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that stroke hospitalizations are on the rise among "younger adults"-- they increased 17 percent in females aged 15 to 34 between 1994 and 2007, the CDC's data shows. And one neurologist told CBS that strokes occur in 50,000 U.S. residents under the age of 50 every year. Is it possible Branson was one of them, as some observers were quick to suggest?

"She's definitely having difficulty expressing her words. That's a symptom that can be related to a stroke," Mount Sinai neurologist Jesse Weinberger told ABC's "Good Morning America." "But it could also be other things, like a partial seizure."

"This is what we call a classic neurological event," Cedars-Sinai neurologist Keith Black told NBC's "Today Show." He offered another possible explanation for Branson's episode -- a transient ischemic attack, which causes a "blockage in blood flow to the brain," similar to a temporary stroke.

In any case, "Today" host Matt Lauer questioned why Branson was not taken to the hospital.

"Not the right thing to do," Nancy Snyder, NBC's chief medical editor said in characterizing the emergency response to Branson's episode. "You immediately go to the emergency room, because this can be the harbinger of more things to come."

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NBC's Today Show [video]:
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