Psilocybin may support recovery after traumatic brain injury (10/9/25 Newsletter)
This week, our lead article, Psilocybin may support recovery after traumatic brain injury, is in the Cannabis & Psychedelics category.
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In this newsletter: Opportunities, What’s New with Us, Sports, Cannabis & Psychedelics, & Women’s Health
Writers: Anni Yurcisin, Myla Hightower, & Kira Kunzman
Editors: Conor Gormally, Malayka Gormally, & Zoe Marquis
Do you find the Concussion Update helpful? If so, forward this to a friend and suggest they subscribe.
Opportunities
Tuesday, October 14, 6 pm ET: A free webinar, Headache and Concussion, presented by
Dr. Claire Sandoe, hosted by the Canadian Concussion Centre. Register in advance.
Thursday, October 16, 1 pm PT: A free virtual workshop, Embodiment For Recovery-A Guided Practice Workshop, presented by Zena Watson, LCSW, hosted by BrainNorthwest.org. ”This 60-minute trauma-informed experiential workshop invites participants to reconnect with their bodies through gentle embodied practices.” No registration necessary; the Zoom link is here.
Tuesday, October 28, 6 pm ET: A free webinar, Managing Symptoms of Dizziness and Imbalance Post Concussion, presented by Shaleen Sulway & Elizabeth Crawford, hosted by the Canadian Concussion Centre. Register in advance.
Friday, October 24th, 9 am to noon, PT: A free workshop, Brain Injury and Domestic Violence: Intersections, Impact and Support, hosted by The Center on Brain Injury Research and Training. Register in advance. “Please note: Sessions will include discussion of topics such as domestic violence, trauma, and the justice system. We encourage participants to practice self-care, and resources will be available.”
Thursday, October 23, 7 am ET: A free virtual event, Concussions to Cycles: Unmasking Reproductive Risks of mTBI, presented by Julie Rios, M.D., hosted by UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program. This event is a “Grand Rounds” in-person presentation and discussion, which also welcomes people to join virtually via Microsoft Teams. No registration in advance. Join this meeting at this link: Meeting ID: 256 931 858 088 3. Passcode: Bt2nZ9vt
Call for paid study participants: If your child had a traumatic brain injury, including a concussion, in the past 1-12 months and is 8-16 years old, they may be eligible to join a remote study that can be done from home. Families receive compensation for their time and feedback. In this UCSF study, your child plays a video game, then you and your child complete assessments and surveys to measure cognition. To learn more, see the flyer, visit this study page, or contact the study team, engagetbi@ucsf.edu or call/text (415) 993-1048.
New with Us: Concussion Alliance Student Club First Meeting
We are excited to announce the formation of the Concussion Alliance UW Chapter, an official school chapter of Concussion Alliance at the University of Washington. The student club, our first university chapter, was founded by Concussion Alliance 2024 Internship Alum Sneha Bansal. This Monday, a group of club officers hosted the first Welcome Meeting for interested students; in the photo are Sneha Bansal, Sruthi Balasubramanian, and Gillian Wang (Varsha Raghuram not pictured).
The meeting included a presentation from Dr. Allison Wallingford, MD, MSE, assistant professor of clinical practice at UW Medicine and Brain Injury Medicine Physiatrist (on the right in the photo). Dr. Wallingford presented a comprehensive slideshow and talk about concussion, addressing common myths, the new guidelines for recovery, and treatment paths for athletes and non-athletes. Dr. Wallingford was pleased with the highly engaged audience, who asked a wide range of thoughtful questions about individual and family experiences with concussion, as well as questions about her career path — she may have influenced at least one student's career choice!
Sports
Repetitive head impacts cause white matter disruptions in adult amateur soccer players
A recent study in Neurology examined the impact of repetitive head injuries (RHI) in soccer players and their effect on the brain. Bluye DeMessie et al. examined adult amateur soccer players and adult non-collision sport athletes with diffusion MRI, looking at microstructural disruptions in white matter. They found that at the depths of sulci – the grooves or indentations in a brain’s outer layer – there were significantly more white matter disruptions in soccer players with high RHI exposure than players with lower exposure or non-collision sport athletes. The study also assessed verbal learning and verbal memory through a validated series of cognitive tests and found that the disruptions were correlated with worse performance on these tests. This study particularly emphasizes the importance of continuing to examine non-concussive head impacts when looking at long-term brain health. Raffaele Cacciaglia, author of an editorial published soon after the study, says “[The study] suggests that white matter microstructure is not merely a biomarker of exposure, but a mediating mechanism linking repetitive impacts to cognitive decline”.
The study specifically looked at fractional anisotropy and orientation dispersion index as the areas of interest. Fractional anisotropy (FA) is a quantitative measure that indicates the degree of water diffusion within a unit of brain tissue. The higher an FA value, the more organized, densely packed, and healthier the white matter is in that unit. Orientation dispersion index (ODI) is similar in that it indicates the extent to which the neurons are tightly packed and organized. The lower the ODI value, the tighter and healthier the white matter is. The authors found that both FA and ODI showed significant correlations with verbal learning and verbal memory. Healthier imaging values (lower ODI and higher FA) were correlated with better performance on the cognitive tests. The soccer players with higher RHI exposure had higher ODI values and lower FA values, demonstrating the microstructural damage done to their white matter. This study provides insight into how even subconcussive exposure can affect the brain and, according to Cacciaglia, “highlights the potential of depth-of-sulcus white matter as a sensitive biomarker of RHI, reveals exposure-related cognitive effects even in amateur players, not just in professionals, and offers a novel methodological approach that may improve detection and monitoring of sports- related brain injury.”
Cannabis & Psychedelics
Psilocybin may support recovery after traumatic brain injury
A narrative review in Brain Sciences evaluated 29 studies and found evidence that psilocybin could play a role in recovery after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Lead author Charles Palmer et al. explain that their review found that psilocybin, a natural compound found in Psilocybe mushrooms, reduced numerous pro-inflammatory markers and increased expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which influences neuroplasticity. Additionally, psilocybin activates serotonin 5-HT2A receptors, influencing mood-related dopamine pathways and the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis (the body’s primary hormonal stress response system). Because TBI often disrupts these systems, psilocybin’s effects may help improve recovery by reducing inflammation, promoting neuroplasticity, encouraging the growth of new synapses, and alleviating associated mood disorders.
For those with mood disorders, taking psilocybin may improve mood and reduce depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms common after TBI. Additionally, psilocybin does not appear to raise seizure risk, which is a significant safety concern in brain injury care. Still, the evidence remains preliminary. Most of the findings analyzed in this narrative review are from animal models or clinical trials that did not focus on patients with TBI; no randomized clinical trials have directly tested psilocybin in this population. The authors call for well-designed studies to confirm safety, identify effective dosing, and explore how psilocybin could be combined with rehabilitation strategies. Nevertheless, the paper concludes that psilocybin, used alongside existing therapies, “has the potential to maximize TBI recovery.”
Reporting in Marijuana Moment, journalist Ben Adlin emphasized this conclusion while also noting the authors’ caution towards potential risks, such as challenging psychological experiences. The review stresses that treatment protocols should include careful screening, preparatory sessions, and controlled settings, which are considered essential for safety in psychedelic therapy. The authors also highlight legal barriers: psilocybin remains a Schedule I substance in the U.S., restricting research and slowing progress towards clinical trials. Even so, decriminalization initiatives and rising federal interest, particularly in veteran care, are creating momentum for future trials. Oregon and Colorado have legalized “psilocybin for medically supervised use,” and nine states have decriminalized psilocybin.
Women’s Health
Persisting Concussion Symptoms: Vulnerability of Females from Motor Vehicle Crashes
A retrospective study by Tator et al., published in the Journal of Neurotrauma, examined patients from the Canadian Concussion Centre who sustained concussions with persisting symptoms (C+PCS) following motor vehicle crashes (MVCs). The study consisted of data collected from 2000 to 2020 of 136 patients who experienced at least one C+PCS symptom lasting at least one month. Notably, 69% of the patients identified as female, despite the fact that male drivers are statistically more likely than female drivers to be involved in MVCs in Ontario. This finding suggests that female drivers may be at a higher risk of developing persisting symptoms after a concussion, despite being involved in fewer collisions overall. The authors note that "Complete recovery from C+PCS was rare, and most patients with known follow-up continued to suffer from persisting symptoms for months to years."
The study collected detailed information regarding demographics, crash dynamics, injury characteristics, recovery patterns, and persistent symptom profiles. Within the data, the typical C+PCS patient was described as a "belted female driver, often completely stopped in traffic, and then struck from behind by another vehicle." The "bobble-head effect" (the rapid back-and-forth movement of the head during vehicular impact, with the possibility of the head striking other parts of the automobile, such as the steering wheel or window) was often reported as the reason for injury. Given previous findings from sport-related concussion research, the authors propose that females' reduced neck muscle strength and lower effective head mass (which would increase the "bobble-head effect") could be a potential cause for the discrepancy between male drivers and female drivers' C+PCS vulnerability.
The study concludes that existing vehicle safety mechanisms are inadequate for preventing concussions, particularly in rear-end collisions. It recommends rethinking occupant protection systems to better prevent head injuries, especially in female passengers. Enhanced strategies might include additional airbags, improved cabin padding, and advanced head restraint systems. As the study concludes, "automobile engineers, automobile manufacturers, and governments should be encouraged to improve vehicle occupant safety systems to prevent concussions with a focus on female occupants in rear-end collisions who are at high risk of concussion."
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