News & Headlines

Long COVID defines a long-term condition that occurs after a person has had the COVID-19 infection and still has symptoms after a period of at least 3 months. The condition can present a wide range of symptoms that may vary in severity and can affect both physical and mental health. This article discusses the link between long COVID and anxiety, including whether long COVID can cause panic attacks, how it affects the brain, treatment options, and more.

An internal investigation by the U.S. Army found multiple communication and procedural failures allowed one of its reservists to evade psychiatric treatment after he was released from a private psychiatric hospital less than three months before he committed the worst mass shooting in Maine history last October.

In a recent study published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, researchers assess differences in specific biomarkers associated with neurodegenerative diseases between United Kingdom-based retired rugby players with a history of concussions and a non-contact sports group.

Neurologic symptoms of long COVID are vast, common, hard to treat, disabling, and can mimic dozens of other syndromes, with some symptoms as serious as those seen in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). Now, recent evidence has suggested long COVID is primarily an autonomic nervous system disorder.

The largest-ever study of CTE has found a new link between playing contact sports, CTE, and developing Parkinson’s disease-like symptoms. The Boston University study of 481 dead athletes reveals that most people with CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) developed parkinsonism, and CTE appears to be driving the parkinsonism symptoms in most cases.

Despite ongoing advocacy and education about the risks of concussions from organizations like the Sport Information Resource Center, Hockey Canada, and legislation like Rowan's Law, many young athletes still hesitate, or even neglect, to disclose symptoms when they are hurt.

New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announces a bill called the Blast Overpressure Safety Act to address traumatic brain injuries (TBI). The bill aims to help veterans and active duty service members who endure issues of traumatic brain injuries with explosions and firing weapons.

The project aims to shed light on how concussions are impacting women and girls, who have historically been left behind in sports injuries studies.

Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) will share its innovative approaches to addressing suicide risk factors at the nation's top conference dedicated to suicide prevention among military personnel and veterans. The 2024 VA/DoD Suicide Prevention Conference is hosted by the Department of Veteran Affairs and the Department of Defense. This year's conference theme is Reimagining Suicide Prevention: Evolving and Innovating to Meet Diverse Needs. 

A new study by investigators from Massachusetts General Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare, reveals insights that could lead to new treatments for a serious brain bleeding condition that’s common in newborns with very low birth weight. The findings are published in Brain.

Two women who endured decades of intimate partner violence including dozens of brutal assaults and head injuries before they died have been diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy — the first cases of CTE in victims of domestic violence in Australia and two of just a handful globally. The grim findings, published today in the journal Acta Neuropathologica, were made by a group of pathologists from several states and territories who teamed up to understand whether the degenerative brain disease found mostly in deceased male football players and boxers is also prevalent among abused women with histories of repetitive head injury.

Canadian doctors and brain injury experts believe Canadian Football League players should be encouraged to use Guardian Caps whenever they have the opportunity, but say the technology does not mitigate the risk of concussion. The CFL announced on May 15 that players will be allowed to wear Guardian Caps — protective soft-shell helmet covers — during games this season as part of a new series of health-and-safety measures. The league also mandated mouthguards, becoming the first professional league in North America to do so.