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.

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.

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.

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.

Aamy Woldesenbet, an internship alum, said, "We were exposed to a bunch of literature and experiences as well, anecdotes from people who gave panels as well as fellow interns. I realized concussion has had a huge impact on people's lives." His interview was one in a series about how Concussion Alliance impacted interns' lives going forward.

Zachary Napora, an internship alum, said, "I had a long-term concussion, was looking for answers, and just stumbled upon the website and got a lot of help from Concussion Alliance. When I recovered, I went back on the website, saw they had an internship program and applied from there.” His interview was one in a series about how Concussion Alliance impacted interns' lives going forward.

Arthur Onwumere, an internship alum, said, "It opened a lot of doors for me in terms of internships later on." His interview was one in a series about how Concussion Alliance impacted interns' lives going forward.

Andy Pham, an internship alum, said, "I think it was a great foundational step in moving forward as a future public health leader.” His interview was one in a series about how Concussion Alliance impacted interns' lives going forward.

Amanda Cheney Zitting, an internship alum, said, "The highlights were gaining a better knowledge and feeling more confident in my skill set, as well as my knowledge around concussion and mental health." Her interview was one in a series about how Concussion Alliance impacted interns' lives going forward.

Kira Kunzman, a two-time intern alum, said, "It was the first internship that I really felt comfortable expressing my opinion. A lot of internships don't really give you the opportunity to create your own materials and add to the organization in a meaningful way." Her interview was one in a series about how Concussion Alliance impacted interns' lives going forward.

Caroline Saksena, an internship alum, said, "I think what was really valuable for my internship experience was when they had guest speakers come in.” Her interview was one in a series about how Concussion Alliance impacted interns' lives going forward.

Melissa Brown, an internship alum, said, " If people are trying to get into the internship, do the internship. That's my 2 cents." Her interview was one in a series about how Concussion Alliance impacted interns' lives going forward.

Padmini Konidena, an internship alum, said, "I think the mission of Concussion Alliance is really great, just spreading knowledge to people who may not know as much about concussion." Her interview was one in a series about how Concussion Alliance impacted interns' lives going forward.

We are super excited about this opportunity! When you register with the TROOPS referral program, you will 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.

A study published by Andrea Schneider et al. in the American Heart Association journal Stroke highlights how a prior history of traumatic brain injury is strongly associated with long-term stroke risk among US military veterans. Based on previous research, TBI is highly prevalent among military veterans. Those with prior TBI are at an increased long-term risk for stroke.

“Veterans who reported having at least one traumatic brain injury or TBI at any time in their life had lower cognitive scores in later life, compared to twin siblings who did not experience a TBI,” observed Dr. Chanti-Ketterl during a recent podcast about a twin study of WWII veterans (published in Neurology), of which she was the first author.

Repeated blast exposure from firing heavy weaponry such as cannons, mortars, shoulder-fired rockets, and even large-caliber machine guns is causing long-term injury to the brains of our military service members. The New York Times reported on the military’s struggle to understand the life-changing mental and physical problems U.S. troops face as a result of blast exposure.

A study published in JAMA Neurology aimed to find out whether cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) could be a viable option for veterans suffering from severe levels of both PTSD and PTH. The study found that a new therapy, CBT for headache, reduced how much these veterans were affected by headaches and PTSD when compared to the usual treatment and that the treatment effect lasted up to 6 months after the therapy.

A recent literature review conducted by Danielle DuPlessis et al. investigated the use of multi-domain assessments in tracking the recovery from concussion in both sports-related and military contexts. The study, published in Physical Therapy in Sport, found a strong preference for dual-task assessments, specifically, combinations of walking on a level surface while the participant answered questions.

In June, Leadership Team Member Dr. Elizabeth Sandel and I had the opportunity to (separately) talk with Tove Danovich for The Atlantic article The Standard Advice for Concussions Is Wrong. Tove and I had an in-depth conversation, and the article was published in The Atlantic on October 6th; the article includes a quote from me and two quotes from Dr. Sandel, Board Chair for Concussion Alliance.