News & Headlines

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has launched a new clinical trial studying whether MDMA-assisted therapy could help veterans suffering from severe mental health conditions including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcoholism.

The study marks one of the federal government’s most significant efforts yet to examine psychedelic-assisted treatment for veterans, as officials search for new ways to address rising rates of trauma, addiction and suicide.

For Vanessa Escobar, the path from scientist to beekeeper wasn’t planned — it was personal. A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientist who served 18 years in the U.S. Army and worked with NASA, Escobar runs Beacon Hill Honey from her Leesburg home. But her work goes far beyond honey. It’s about healing.

In more than 200 U.S. cities, shared e-bikes, e-scooters and bicycles are just a tap away on a smartphone. They’ve become a common sight — not just in major metros like New York or Los Angeles but also in midsize cities and college towns. Wherever these easy-to-grab-and-go devices show up, injuries follow, many involving the brain. 

Learn how to stay safe on wheels and on foot.

For Rebecca, something as innocuous as the school run can be fraught with anxiety.

The sound of the school bell, she says, "automatically sends me into fight or flight".

The bell at her young children's school is the same as the alarm in the prison where she was physically and verbally attacked as part of an 11-year career as a guard. She has since been diagnosed with complex PTSD.

"I'll flinch, I'll go to run. In my job when that alarm is hit. I'm not running away from the danger, I'm running to the danger. It's completely exhausting."

Trials on veterans suggest the potent hallucinogen could provide a new treatment for PTSD, but scientists still don't know how it works.

The singer, 65, says her 2022 bike accident changed her memory, balance and timing. AARP research shows head injuries are common among adults 50-plus.

Experts have been quick to reassure the public after the deaths aboard the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius, but images and turns of phrase have rekindled anxieties from Covid’s early days.

Ibogaine is a powerful psychedelic plant medicine is gaining federal and state backing. Studies show it has promise for treating addiction, PTSD, and TBI, especially in military veterans. Federal and state funding, plus expedited FDA review, are now accelerating U.S. clinical trials of ibogaine.

The medical use of psychedelic drugs has achieved a level of respectability that was unthinkable when Harvard’s Timothy Leary was encouraging widespread use of LSD back in the 1960's. Most of the writing and research has focused on the use of psilocybin mushrooms, LSD, and ayahuasca. But a lesser-known compound, ibogaine, has been gaining attention, aided by an executive order from President Trump pushing federal agencies to accelerate research.

Supporters say ibogaine could treat PTSD, addiction, and traumatic brain injury. Dr. Peter Grinspoon, a medical cannabis specialist and instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School, spoke with GBH’s All Things Considered Arun Rath on the topic. What follows is a lightly edited transcript of their conversation.

The son of former Manchester United and England player Nobby Stiles has said he is "disgusted" that the Football Association has apparently rejected a link between heading the ball and brain injuries.

New research is upending what we thought about the consciousness of patients, leaving families with agonizing choices.

In a significant development in the battle against brain injury in sport, teams from the National Rugby League (NRL) and the National Rugby League for Women (NRLW) are now required to restrict the amount of body contact during training sessions.

While the policy has been broadly described as a way to reduce exposure to all injuries, it is clearly targeted at reducing concussion and repetitive brain trauma.

This is the first official contact training limit by an Australian contact sport governing body. It shows that despite decades of rule changes, research and claimed advances in player safety, brain trauma remains a central concern for sport organisations.