Severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of hospitalizations and deaths around the world, affecting more than five million people each year. Predicting outcomes following a brain injury can be challenging, yet families are asked to make decisions about continuing or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment within days of injury. In a new study, Mass General Brigham investigators analyzed potential clinical outcomes for TBI patients enrolled in the Transforming Research and Clinical Knowledge in TBI (TRACK-TBI) study for whom life support was withdrawn. The investigators found that some patients for whom life support was withdrawn may have survived and recovered some level of independence a few months after injury. These findings suggest that delaying decisions on withdrawing life support might be beneficial for some patients.

In a matter of months, the Food and Drug Administration is expected to decide whether the drug commonly known as ecstasy can be used as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. An approval by the agency would represent an enormous milestone for the movement to bring psychedelics into the mainstream of mental health care. An FDA rejection of MDMA, the abbreviation of the drug's chemical name, would deal a major setback to the effort.

Concussion management often involves physical and mental rest until symptoms go away. This can help you prevent second injuries and allow injured tissues to heal. However, research is starting to show that some physical and cognitive activity may help promote recovery. “What we’ve seen over the last few years is a progressive pushback in the literature on this idea of rest, rest, rest. There’s evidence that introduction of early physical activity promotes recovery,” says Ross Zafonte, DO, a Mass General Brigham sports medicine specialist and an expert in concussion care. “What’s really exciting is that [new research now shows that] early cognitive activity of a moderate intensity (in other words, returning to school earlier or returning to other mild activities) is associated with a better outcome.”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced an upcoming committee meeting intended to discuss an application submitted by Lykos Therapeutics for MDMA-assisted therapy to treat PTSD. The public advisory meeting headed up by the FDA’s Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee is scheduled for June 4. It is another significant move forward for MDMA-assisted therapy being made available to patients suffering from PTSD.

Bailey will trade in his two-piece catcher’s mask for a hockey-style one said to provide more protection after suffering the second concussion of his MLB career.

A first-of-its-kind Canadian research study is working towards a major medical breakthrough for a brain disorder, believed to be caused by repeated head injuries, that can only be detected after death. Inside the brain imaging centre at Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Scientific Director Neil Vasdev is hopeful that his team is on the cusp of being able to diagnose chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in a living person.

An Air Force policy change will allow pilots to receive 60 days of mental health treatment without being taken out of flight status, a notable policy update as the service works to destigmatize airmen seeking care. Prior to the policy update, which was publicized in a May 1 press release, if an airman began seeking treatment for mental health-related illnesses or concerns, they would then need a return-to-duty waiver to fly, a requirement that often kept pilots grounded for extended periods.

Concussions in children aged 6 and under continue to affect their health three months after the event. This is the finding of a study led by Miriam Beauchamp, a professor in the Department of Psychology at Université de Montréal and researcher at Sainte-Justine hospital. Using a new measurement tool for young children, Beauchamp and her team demonstrated that early childhood concussions cause significantly elevated post-concussive symptoms that are not attributable solely to the general effects of the injury.

The U.S. FDA's panel of independent advisers will on June 4 deliberate whether they should recommend approval for the first MDMA-assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder, Lykos Therapeutics said on Monday. This would be the first FDA panel of outside experts to review a potential new PTSD treatment in 25 years.

Amid ample evidence of the dangers of head injuries sustained by football players, the NFL recently announced that it would be mandating protective soft-shell helmet covers — known as Guardian Caps — at every preseason practice, every regular-season and postseason practice with contact, and allow them during regular games.