Intern Newsletter–New diagnostics and imaging lead to greater understanding of concussions (12/15/23 Newsletter)

This week there are four lead articles:

Heading in soccer has detrimental effects on microscopic brain tissue structure integrity is in the Sports section
Study Highlights the Importance of Delaying Return to Activities in Symptomatic Concussion Patients is in the Pathophysiology section
Study finds marker of functional brain activity and vasculature more accurate than ImPACT testing is in the Therapies & Diagnostic Tools Under Research section
Blood biomarkers detect reduced brain structure volume associated with repetitive head impacts in professional boxers and MMA fighters is in the CTE & Neurodegeneration Issues section

In this newsletter: Opportunities, Education, Sports, Cannabis & Psychedelics, Pathophysiology, Therapies Currently Available, Therapies & Diagnostic Tools Under Research, Veterans and Service Members, Mental Health, Women’s Health, and CTE & Neurodegeneration Issues.

Welcome to our intern newsletter, written by 10 of our December 2023 Concussion Education & Advocacy Interns!

We appreciate the Concussion Alliance interns and staff members who created this edition:
Writers: Esmeralda Garcia-Ramirez, Aaron Lobsenz, Sylvia Dixon, Lillian Lee, Camila Smith-Donald, Zoe Heart, Ella Gullickson, Sam Gossard, Lily Vargo, Audrey Schwartz

Editors: Conor Gormally and Malayka Gormally

Do you find the Concussion Update helpful? If so, forward this to a friend and suggest they subscribe.

Opportunities

Friday, January 12, 8 am PST: A free webinar, A Conversation with Dr. Stan Herring: 30 Years of Concussion Care, hosted by The Center on Brain Injury Research and Training. Register in advance.

Participants needed for a study using an app to combat depression after concussion. The app provides online activities based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) principles. Eligibility: individuals 18-70 years old with a history of concussion. The study is open to civilians and members of the military community. See our blog post for more information.

Register with the TROOPS referral program to be connected with multiple research teams, several of which are recruiting for studies of treatments for concussion (mTBI). Civilians are welcome to join, and there is no upper age limit. See our blog post for more information. To enroll or learn more, visit troops.mtbi2.nih.gov.

Education

Executive Dysfunction Unveiled: 7 Key Effects to Watch Out For After a Brain Injury

Blog

Most everyday tasks involve a type of thinking called executive function. These executive function skills are responsible for accomplishing tasks and problem-solving. When one experiences an injury to the brain, resulting executive dysfunction can make it challenging to navigate through everyday life.

Read More →

Sports

Heading in soccer has detrimental effects on microscopic brain tissue structure integrity

Blog

A recent study presented at the Radiological Society of North America found a significant decline in the microscopic structural integrity of brain tissue and a decline in verbal learning performance for young adult amateur soccer players who performed a high number of headers over two years.

Read More →

Cannabis & Psychedelics

Medical Marijuana Might Have Benefits for PTSD Patients

Blog

A new pilot study from researchers Viddiparti et al. found that, over a 70-day period, medical marijuana use in 15 study participants significantly improved PTSD symptom severity and also produced a significant reduction in nightmares.

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Pathophysiology

Study Highlights the Importance of Delaying Return to Activities in Symptomatic Concussion Patients

Blog

A paper published in the Journal of Neurotrauma found that children with persistent symptoms had imaging “evidence of ongoing microstructural reorganization or neuroinflammation,” highlighting the importance of delaying a child’s return to play following a concussion if symptoms are persisting.

Read More →

Therapies Currently Available

Excellent overview of vision therapy for concussion

Blog

Vision therapy may be valuable for those suffering vision problems after a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Optometrist Maureen Oyaide-Ofenor explains the process of vision therapy in an article published in Optometry Times Journal.

Read More →

Therapies & Diagnostic Tools Under Research

Study finds marker of functional brain activity and vasculature more accurate than ImPACT testing

Blog

A study found that these measures of blood oxygen variability (measured with fMRI) are significantly better at detecting concussion in athletes than widely used computerized cognitive diagnostic testing (i.e., ImPACT)

Read More →

Veterans & Service Members

Brain injury associated with US Military training weapons

Blog

In a recent New York Times report, Dave Phillips brought attention to abundant evidence indicating that brain injuries and “serious and lasting harm” in veterans are related to their exposure to repetitive blasts from weapons used in training.

Read More →

Mental Health

Study finds that concussion increases odds of poor mental health and suicidal behaviors in adolescents

Blog

A study conducted by Jacob Kay et al. found that male and female teenagers who reported a history of concussion in the last year were at greater risk of suicidal ideation, planning, and attempts than those who had not sustained a concussion in the previous year.

Read More →

Women’s Health

Connections between intimate partner violence, traumatic brain injury, and neurological disease–but not CTE

Blog

A recent study of the brains of 84 deceased women who experienced intimate partner violence found that the brains consistently showed signs of traumatic brain injury but that none met the criteria for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

Read More →

CTE & Neurodegeneration Issues

Blood biomarkers detect reduced brain structure volume associated with repetitive head impacts in professional boxers and MMA fighters

Blog

A study in Neurology Advisor found that for active and retired professional fighters exposed to repetitive head impacts, blood plasma measurements of the biomarkers GFAP and NfL “may help identify those who are at risk for progressive regional brain atrophy and cognitive decline.”