News & Headlines

Stay up to date with the latest brain injury news and headlines. These headlines are also available by email and RSS.

WABE / PBS | Jun 5, 2023

On Wednesday, edition of the “Closer Look” Cade talked with Rose about Carter’s life and legacy and her decades-long work for advocating for caregivers and the reduction of stigma surrounding mental health.

Axios | May 26, 2023

NFL owners on Tuesday approved a rule change wherein a kickoff that is fair caught anywhere behind the 25-yard line will get placed on the 25. In the past, it would get placed at the spot of the fair catch (and thus, almost never happened), and kickoffs were only placed at the 25 on a touchback. The impetus for the change was a surge in concussions on kickoff returns, with nearly twice as many last year (19) as there were in 2020 (10).

The Toronto Star | May 26, 2023

Remembering what happened after she hit her head on the ice while playing hockey is tough for Meg Kerekes, but she knows how that particular headache felt — “like a one-pound weight on the spot that got hit.”

Business Wire | May 26, 2023

Therapeutic Solutions International (TSOI) announced the creation of CTE Biologics, Inc. as a subsidiary company dedicated to commercializing the JadiCell adult stem cell platform for treatment of chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

Psychiatrist.com | May 24, 2023

Scientists believe the so-called “party drug” MDMA may be able to speed recovery from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). MDMA, also known as “ecstasy” or “molly,” is short for the chemical compound 3,4-Methyl​enedioxy​methamphetamine. In recent years, the drug has been the subject of intense clinical testing.

Technology Networks | May 23, 2023

From humans to plants to single-cell organisms, there’s a protein that rules them all. This protein does general housekeeping of the cells, regulating them through normal daily functions.Virginia Tech researchers found that one specific form of this ubiquitous protein has a different function in the female brains – it helps regulate events in the memory that cause post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

CBC | May 23, 2023

Before the first hospital came the rolling of the Toyota Land Cruiser and my body being thrown into the ditch with a thud. I sustained a traumatic brain injury. I was 24. Doctors told my family I could die. If I recovered, they said, it would likely be at about a six-year-old's level of development. 

UPI | May 23, 2023

A new brain bank is accepting future donations from living athletes, in an effort to perform long-term research into the effects of sports-related concussion. The National Sports Brain Bank (NSBB) at the University of Pittsburgh will track the health of living participants on an annual basis, and will autopsy their donated brains after their death.

The Washington Post | May 22, 2023

They were roommates and teammates at Harvard, bound by their love of football and each other. Then the game -- and the debate over its safety -- took its toll.

NPR | May 22, 2023

As the Biden administration ends the COVID-19 public health emergency, millions of Americans who contracted the disease continue to suffer from symptoms associated with long COVID. Neuropsychologist James C. Jackson says people with long COVID can suffer from symptoms like exhaustion, shortness of breath and disturbed sleep. Some of the most troubling symptoms are neurological: struggling to remember things, to focus, even to perform basic daily tasks and solve problems.

National Geographic | May 18, 2023

Low-dose naltrexone is often used to treat chronic pain and autoimmune disorders. Now, for many struggling with debilitating post-COVID symptoms, it's one of the few treatments that works.

Psychology Today | May 18, 2023

A newly FDA-approved system offers a non-invasive, drug-free way to treat PTSD.

ABC News | May 18, 2023

Gone are the days of resting in a dark room after sustaining a concussion.

The New York Times | May 18, 2023

The newly opened National Sports Brain Bank plans to study head trauma specific to athletes. Jerome Bettis has already pledged to donate his brain.

PBS NewsHour | May 3, 2023
The U.S. Surgeon General declared a new public health epidemic in America, loneliness. A new report finds loneliness can have profound effects on mental health as well as heart disease, stroke and dementia. It tracks a decline in social connections and links all this to billions of dollars in health care costs. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy joined Amna Nawaz to discuss the risks.
PBS NewsHour | May 2, 2023
Widespread loneliness in the U.S. poses health risks as deadly as smoking up to 15 cigarettes daily, costing the health industry billions of dollars annually, the U.S. surgeon general said Tuesday in declaring the latest public health epidemic.
USA Today | Apr 17, 2023
Recovering-from-a-brain-injury life is not what I had planned. Yes, I partied too much. And I hit my head. But this could have happened to anyone.
Yale Insights | Apr 7, 2023
Howie and Harlan are joined by Michael Alosco, co-director of Boston University’s Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center, to discuss the consequences of years of hits to the head for football players and other athletes. Harlan reports on research that clarifies how to treat high cholesterol; Howie discusses a judge's ruling striking down coverage of preventative care.
The Washington Post | Apr 7, 2023
After years of suffering from PTSD, Will “Akuna” Robinson finds peace of mind on trails.
The Conversation | Apr 6, 2023
Post-traumatic growth is the positive psychological change that can occur in response to a traumatic event. It is often mistaken as resilience, which means bouncing back to baseline following adversity. Post-traumatic growth, on the other hand, refers to an improvement in your life or outlook.
Military Times | Apr 6, 2023
Nearly half a million service members suffered traumatic brain injuries in the past two decades, but the Defense Department isn’t sure exactly how many, how they are being treated or how they are doing now, according to the Pentagon’s inspector general.
Psychiatric Times | Apr 4, 2023

Aerobic exercise is a nonpharmacological intervention that has been shown to improve not only cardiovascular fitness, but also depressive symptoms, and cognition following traumatic brain injury.

Neuroscience News | Apr 4, 2023

A common anesthesia drug could be beneficial in reducing pressure inside the skull of children with traumatic brain injuries (TBI), according to a study published in Critical Care Medicine.

The Guardian | Apr 4, 2023
The effects of head trauma on athletes are well documented. Finally, a UK study is examining the long-term brain health of females abused by their partner.
BigThink | Apr 3, 2023
COVID long-haulers commonly experience brain fog — a colloquial term for lack of mental clarity, poor focus and concentration, memory problems, and difficulty with multitasking. These cognitive process are carried out by the prefrontal cortex, which is sensitive to inflammation and stress caused by COVID. Researchers have found that two drugs, guanfacine (an ADHD medication) and N-acetylcysteine (a painkiller overdose medication), clear brain fog symptoms.