News & Headlines

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DAV | Sep 30, 2025

For many former Navy Special Warfare Combat Crewmen, the experience of delivering Navy SEALs to their destination was one of both pure exhilaration and sheer terror.

However, the job has taken a permanent toll on operators. To better understand the extent of the injuries, Anthony Smith, a former Navy boat driver, has independently surveyed hundreds of other veterans in the fast boat community and the results are overwhelming: Nearly all of the respondents claim symptoms consistent with brain injury, including anxiety, depression, sleep apnea, insomnia, testosterone problems, anger and irritability.

NPR | Sep 30, 2025

Football season is well underway, and fans know those athletes get hit hard. Could better helmets and guidelines around concussion prevention someday eliminate head injuries from the sport?

Host Flora Lichtman speaks with concussion doctor Michael Collins and helmet specialist Barry Miller about how our understanding of head injuries and equipment has evolved.

Psychiatric Times | Sep 24, 2025

Younger US military veterans are three times more likely to experience posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than their older counterparts, largely due to greater psychological and social challenges, according to a new study led by researchers at Yale School of Medicine and the National Center for PTSD.

The New York Times (gift article) | Sep 24, 2025

New research in amateur football and soccer players has identified some potential early warning signs of C.T.E.

Military.com | Sep 21, 2025

Army veteran Jason Ayala had spent years in therapy, battling the effects of PTSD. Nothing seemed to click. So, when Ayala was encouraged to participate in Empowering the Spirit, an evidence-based program launched by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Ayala was skeptical. 

STAT | Sep 17, 2025

Clinical features suggestive of the degenerative brain disorder chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) are seen in former athletes and soldiers and are linked to repetitive head impacts, but a definitive diagnosis is only possible postmortem, through the detection of a buildup of tau protein around brain blood vessels. 

A paper published Wednesday, however, could aid efforts to identify biomarkers of the disease before symptoms emerge, so that protective measures can be adopted. 

Stars and Stripes | Sep 16, 2025

Iraq War veteran Adrian Anthony’s regimen of anti-psychotics and anti-depressants to ease his hallucinations, depression and night terrors have been adjusted a half-dozen times in two years.

But Anthony said he is not convinced that proposals for alternative treatments — including hallucinogenic drugs and breathing pure oxygen in special chambers — that some veterans groups and lawmakers are pushing on Capitol Hill will address his mental health problems from military service 20 years ago.

Los Angeles Times (limited access) | Sep 16, 2025

As awareness grows around the dangers of head trauma in sports, a small number of professional fighters and football players are turning to a psychedelic called ibogaine for treatment.

Ibogaine, which is derived from a West African shrub, is a Schedule 1 drug in America with no legal medical uses, and experts urge caution because of the need for further studies. But the results, several athletes say, are “game-changing.”

Australian Broadcasting Corporation | Sep 9, 2025

Women's Rugby World Cup players are trialling LED mouthguards that light up when they sustain an impact that could lead to a concussion.

The mouthguards flash red and send a Bluetooth signal to support staff, indicating the need for a head injury assessment.

American Brain Foundation | Sep 9, 2025

Chronic social isolation directly leads to psychological stress and depression, and especially for older adults, this can be a significant risk factor for developing dementia, including Alzheimer’s. 

NPR | Sep 8, 2025

NhuNgoc Pham was a high school student living in the New Orleans metro area when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005. Her parents, immigrants from Vietnam, had recently purchased and been living in their new home for about a month when the huge storm made landfall.

She describes the experience as formative. "The Katrina experience made me grow as a person," she says. "Also, [it] made me rethink about how you recover from a major trauma."

The New York Times (gift article) | Sep 8, 2025

They work for depression and P.T.S.D. Could they also help the brain repair itself after a neurologic catastrophe?

The New York Times (gift article) | Sep 8, 2025

Neurologists are exploring medications that would help the brain recover after a stroke or traumatic injury.

Wired | Sep 8, 2025

Research into whether drugs like ayahuasca can mitigate the effects of traumatic brain injury is in its infancy. Pro athletes like the Buffalo Bills’ Jordan Poyer are forging ahead anyway.

The New York Times (gift article) | Sep 5, 2025

Brent Simpson is the first police officer known to have C.T.E. He showed signs of the disease in the last few years of his life.

Psychology Today | Sep 2, 2025

Athletes, often thought of as durable and tough, are vulnerable to PTSD.

Military.com | Sep 2, 2025

Post Trauma is a fresh horror game with all the design elements that made 1990 classics like the Silent Hill and Resident Evil franchises so popular. Its storyline has an interesting twist in that it captures the disorienting nature of post-traumatic stress disorder and the disjointed path of healing from it.

Stanford Report | Sep 2, 2025

Funded by an $11.5 million NIH grant, the CREATE Center aims to improve PTSD therapies through responsible AI development, working closely with mental health professionals and survivors to ensure a human-centered approach.

The Times | Sep 2, 2025

After Shane Christie took his own life at the age of just 39, David Walsh looks at how so many former players are suffering alone with a condition that can’t be diagnosed until after their deaths.

BBC | Aug 21, 2025

A former rugby player who was forced to give up the sport after suffering repeated concussions has spoken about his struggle with his mental health.

Nick Stephen, 30, started playing rugby in York aged eight, but had to walk away from the game aged 25 after his 13th concussion in three seasons.

He said leaving the sport behind "felt like my whole life had caved in" and he began suffering with migraines, tinnitus, nausea and panic attacks, and was later diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome.

Wisconsin Public Radio | Aug 21, 2025

Clinical trials have found psychedelic drugs can be an effective treatment for some patients. Researchers hope federal approval will allow these treatments to move forward. 

STAT | Aug 21, 2025

Two members of Congress and a veteran call to keep momentum going.

After decades of underinvestment in new approaches to treating post-traumatic stress disorder and related conditions, the Department of Veterans Affairs is finally turning a corner. In late 2023, the VA announced its first investment in psychedelic research in more than 50 years, launching clinical trials of MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD. Now, we must keep the momentum going.

The Scientist | Aug 19, 2025

Single-cell analyses revealed molecular profiles that can distinguish PTSD from depression, potentially leading to better drugs for this psychiatric disorder.

The Washington Post (gift article) | Aug 19, 2025

Monkeys who have been surrendered and people who have suffered trauma are helping each other learn to trust again.

Arizona PBS | Aug 14, 2025

PTSD is usually seen as a harmful reaction to life threatening events, with symptoms that last for at least a month. Veteran U.S. Army Ranger Michael Baumgarten is a current evolutionary anthropology PhD student who is researching how evolution plays a role in PTSD. 

There’s still a lot we don’t understand about PTSD. For example, why people experience PTSD in different ways, and how some symptoms don’t quite fit into standard medical definitions.

Michael Baumgarten, an Affiliated Graduate Student at the Institute of Human Origins, joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss his research and how his ideas from evolution might help explain these missing pieces.