News & Headlines

For 8-million adults who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder in any given year, medication and cognitive therapy have been the treatment protocol. Now, University of Houston assistant professor of electrical engineering Rose T. Faghih is reporting in Frontiers in Neuroscience that a closed-loop brain stimulator, based on sweat response, can be developed not only for PTSD patients, but also for those who suffer an array of neuropsychiatric disorders.

I get it — my forgetting is annoying. My fiancé could not understand why I can remember some things, but forget we made plans six hours ago. It’s a fair question. I thought about it and here’s what I came up with:

In English (but also in other languages, like Italian) there’s an impressive number of ways to pejoratively define someone suffering from a mental disorder or places and situations related to mental illness: crazy, lunatic, psycho, nut-job, whacko, freak, basket case, loony bin, bughouse. And the list goes on.

Unfortunately, those words are often used as an insult against someone we disagree with.

Simple (non-invasive) tests based on physical signs are not sufficiently sensitive to detect increased intracranial pressure (ICP), a life-threatening build-up of pressure around the brain due to a head injury or illness, finds a study published by The BMJ today.

A caregiver could be a spouse, a sibling, a parent, or someone else entirely. What makes a caregiver special is their innate ability to see PTSD symptoms as symptoms instead of writing the behaviors off as bad character. But, of course, the symptoms of PTSD can take a huge toll on the veteran and the caregiver. So when a caregiver reaches out for help, or to vent — do not say these things.

Prichard Colón was a boxer, a talented and promising one, but during a match in October 2015 he suffered a major brain injury that nearly killed him before leaving him in a coma for seven months. His road to recovery is slow and emotional.

Athletes who have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be at greater risk for experiencing persistent anxiety and depression after a concussion than people who do not have ADHD, according to a preliminary study.

While the V.A. covers the veterinary care and the equipment costs of service dogs for veterans with certain physical disabilities, like blindness or vision impairment, department leaders have long contended that there isn’t enough clinical evidence to prove their benefits for treating mental-health issues. “I would say there are a lot of heartwarming stories that service dogs help, but scientific basis for that claim is lacking,” Dr. Michael Fallon, the V.A.’s chief veterinarian, said during an interview with National Public Radio in 2017. “The V.A. is based on evidence-based medicine. We want people to use therapy that has proven value.” 

The V.A. is currently conducting research into the effectiveness of service dogs, but the process has been slow. Research started in 2011 was supposed to wrap up in 2015 but has repeatedly been stalled by problems with the study’s design and execution. In May, the V.A. said the findings of the study, which has cost $16 million to date, would be released to the public in 2020.

A study of high school and college football players suggests that biomarkers in the blood may have potential use in identifying which players are more likely to need a longer recovery time after concussion, according to a study published in the July 3, 2019, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

"One in 3 women in the United States has experienced intimate partner violence. What we found leads us to believe that many people are walking around with undiagnosed brain injury," said lead researcher Julianna Nemeth.

Caring for someone who's suffered a stroke can be challenging. “People don’t know what to do and they usually can’t guess,” caregiver Kelly Renzoni said. “Until you’re in this kind of situation, you have no clue what it’s like.” She offers her insights and advice on how to navigate the caregiver's role on the road to recovery.