News & Headlines

Melbourne researchers say they have discovered a blood protein that could help detect children with ongoing concussion symptoms weeks after an injury. Researchers at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) said levels of a protein called Alpha-1-antichymotrypsin (alpha-1-ACT) appeared significantly lower in children who had a delayed recovery from injury.  According to MCRI, one in five children will have had a concussion by the time they are 16. 

Scientists in Devon hope to reduce the impact of brain fog in people with long Covid using computer games. The University of Exeter's Beacon Project used the brain's problem-solving abilities to help memory and cognition, staff said. They added such games had been used in studies into the mental decline of older people and it was hoped similar work could help post-viral conditions.

In perhaps its clearest admission that football can cause degenerative brain disease, the N.F.L.’s top health and safety official admitted Monday that there was a link between the sport and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a brain disease found in dozens of retired players.

The American Legion issued a letter of support this week to Rep. Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., for his work on behalf of H.R. 5633, Veteran Suicide Prevention Act. The legislation would mandate the examination and disclosure of vital information regarding opioids, psychotropic medications and other relevant factors in veteran suicide cases. It would require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to include data on combat experience, traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, and military sexual trauma in its annual report. “This bill represents a crucial step toward a more thorough understanding of the complex interplay between trauma and suicide risk among veterans,” American Legion National Commander Daniel Seehafer wrote.

Minibrains grown in the lab may help explain why concussions and other traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) raise people's risk of dementia. In a new study, published Thursday (April 4) in the journal Cell Stem Cell, scientists reported the results of an experiment in which they blasted these lab-grown models of the human brain — known as cerebral organoids — with high-intensity ultrasonic waves. The waves were intended to mimic damage to brain cells induced by severe traumatic brain injuries.

Groundbreaking research is being conducted at Rowan University to help determine if a veteran has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It is done by giving them a simple blood test. Dr. James Grinias is a chemist at Rowan. He was just awarded a $350,000 grant to develop a portable PTSD test for the U.S. Army. The thinking is that PTSD affects the brain at the cellular level, and therefore might be detectable in blood cells.

Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Tonya Oxendine, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for nine hard years before she began her path to recovery. Her pain reached a point where, one day after leaving her desk at the Pentagon, she was considering driving off a bridge. 

With key long COVID trials yet to yield results, people with the condition are trying to change how clinical trials are done.

Raphael Varane has opened up on suffering concussions in multiple football matches and how his body has been “damaged” by heading during fixtures. The Manchester United defender believes a lack of understanding around head injuries has proved harmful to him and other footballers, while he has called for limited use of heading the ball during training sessions.

Chris Nowinski was a 'Tough Enough' winner with a short WWE career, but he has changed the world through his work on concussions and CTE.

A highly decorated former army bomb disposal officer has accused the British Army of dishing out antidepressants to soldiers with PTSD too easily. Retired Major Wayne Owers, who was given the drug after being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), told the Telegraph: "The MOD dishes out antidepressants far too easily in my opinion. My dose was increased three times because my body just got used to them."

Today, MDMA is probably best known as a “party drug,” more likely to be passed around on a sticky dance floor under UV lights than in the psychiatrist's office. But after decades of prohibition scientists have begun to rediscover its potential—along with a number of other psychedelic drugs—in the treatment of complex trauma-related mental health conditions.