While the neurological impact of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) has long been studied, new research suggests TBIs are also hard on the heart.

The research team took a closer look at connections between the two organs, finding that nervous system dysfunction, neuro-inflammation, changes in the brain-gut connection and post-injury health issues may increase risk of both cardiovascular and ...

Any head injury — even a mild one — raises a person’s risk of later having an ischemic stroke.

Having multiple injuries increases that risk, even more so than the severity of a single traumatic brain injury (TBI), researchers report.

"Our study found that those who experience two or more head injuries, including even mild head injuries, are at higher risk of subsequent ischem...

Your thinking and memory skills may take a hit decades after recovering from a concussion, a new study indicates.

Scientists who studied male twins, from an average age of 67, found that earlier concussions were tied to lower scores on tests of thinking and memory. These men also had a more rapid decline in their cognitive skills — skills needed for reasoning and the acquisition o...

The two "freezing" episodes that Sen. Mitch McConnell experienced recently weren't strokes or seizures, the Capitol physician said in a new letter released Tuesday.

“My examination of you following your August 30, 2023, brief episode included several medical evaluations: brain MRI imaging, EEG study and consultations...

FRIDAY, Sept. 1, 2023 (HealthDay News) – After Sen. Republican Leader Mitch McConnell froze for the second time during a Wednesday briefing in Kentucky, Congress’ attending physician has cleared him to continue working.

The degenerative brain disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) may be striking some at much younger ages than thought possible: New research has uncovered early signs of the condition in amateur athletes who died young after playing contact sports.

The troubling finding was discovered during the brain autopsies of 152 athletes. All had engaged in the type of sports, such a...

Suicide has become an urgent issue among American military veterans, with rates increasing by more than 10 times in nearly two decades, a new study reveals.

"Suicide rates for post-9/11 veterans have steadily increased over the last 15 years and at a much faster pace than the total U.S. population, and post-9/11 veterans with TBI [traumatic brain injuries] have a significantly higher suic...

The link between pro football and the risk for a neurodegenerative disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is well known, and now a new study suggests that football may also up the risk for Parkinson's disease, even among past high school and college players.

“Parkinson's disease has been commonly reported in boxers, but we have not explored this link in great detail in fo...

If your child has ever taken a knock to the head on the playing field, a new study has some reassuring news: There's no evidence that a concussion shaves points from a kid's IQ.

Researchers found that compared with children and teens who'd suffered broken bones or sprained ankles, those with a recent concussion did just as well on IQ tests up to three months after the head injury.

T...

Depression that arises after a head injury may be its own distinct condition — one that differs from traditional major depressive disorder, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that people with post-concussion depression showed a unique pattern of activity in the brain circuitry involved in depression. This "picture" was different from depression unrelated to a head injury, and diffe...

Heather Anderson, a star Australian rules football player who died last November, is the first female professional athlete to be diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.

"She is the first female athlete diagnosed with CTE, but she will not be the last," researchers wrote in a paper published Friday. Anderson was 28 when she died from what was believed to be suicide.
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Autopsy is currently the only way to definitively diagnose chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease often seen in athletes who've suffered repeated blows to the head.

But there may be a way to predict which athletes are likely to develop CTE, researchers report June 28 in the journal Neurology.

They outline criteria for a condition called traumat...

Obesity is a known contributor to a host of health risks ranging from diabetes to cancer, but new research suggests it may also delay recovery from a mild traumatic brain injury.

Why? The systemic inflammation that being obese can cause in the body may be a driving factor, according to researchers.

“This is a very understudied population related to obesity impacting outcomes,” s...

The number and strength of head impacts, not concussions, cause degenerative brain injuries to football players, a new study suggests.

That's what appears to drive the growing number of cases of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), researchers say.

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is a progressive and fatal brain disease associated with repeated traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). I...

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can have long-term effects, much like a chronic condition, a new study says.

Looking at hundreds of patients, researchers found that problems related to traumatic brain injuries can last for years, with people improving and declining at different time points. These problems encompassed memory, thinking and everyday functioning.

"TBI is essentially a ...

Gymnasts make it look easy, but mastering those floor exercises and balance beam moves can take a toll on the brain.

Researchers studying preseason and regular season concussion rates in college sports found that women's gymnastics led all others for its concussion rate in the preseason. The rate was 50% higher even than that for college football players.

Unlike soccer and football,...

Limited "heading" of a soccer ball in youth sports may not cause irreversible harm, as long as players are properly trained, a new study finds.

This study from concussion researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) looked at the consequences of repeated head impacts shortly after the impact. They did this using six different tests.

They found that having a small ...

A new brain bank is accepting future donations from living athletes, in an effort to perform long-term research into the effects of sports-related concussion.

The National Sports Brain Bank (NSBB) at the University of Pittsburgh will track the health of living participants on an annual basis, and...

A significant number of patients take far longer to recover from a concussion than expected, and they may not be getting the care they need, according to a new study.

Researchers from the United Kingdom who studied concussion patients found that almost half had changes in how regions of the brain communicate with each other. This may cause long-term symptoms, including fatigue, and impair...

Sen. Mitch McConnell is back home more than two weeks after he fell at a private dinner and was hospitalized with a concussion and broken rib.

The Senate Minority Leader spent five days in the hospital and the remainder of the 2-1/2 weeks following his fall in inpatient physical therapy.

“I'm in frequent touch with my Senate colleagues and my staff,” McConnell said in a

It's well-established that American football players can suffer significant brain impacts as they age.

Now, new research shows that elite European soccer players are also more likely than the average person to develop dementia.

Men in the Swedish top soccer division between 1924 and 2019 were 1.5 times more likely to develop neurodegenerative disease than those in a control group.

While older women are treated for falls more often than elderly males, men are more likely to sustain skull fractures when they topple over, new research suggests.

This is a serious concern because more than 3 million people aged 65 and older are treated in U.S. emergency departments each year for falls.

“The high incidence of head injury and subsequent skull fractures due to fal...

Combining breathing exercises with gradual aerobic activity may benefit teens who are recovering slowly from a concussion.

New research found that while the two therapies each offer benefits, together they led to even greater improvement in thinking and memory skills, depression and mood.

The findings are scheduled for presentation in Boston and online at the meeting of the American...

Many football fans fondly remember Rick Arrington as the Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback from 1970 to 1973, but his daughter's memories are tainted by years spent watching her dad suffer from late-stage chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

A degenerative brain disease found in athletes, military veterans and others with a history of repetitive brain trauma, CTE causes depression, suic...

Add high blood pressure to the list of problems associated with concussions among former pro football players.

Researchers at Harvard University's Football Players Health Study linked a history of concussions to elevated risk for high blood pressure among ex-NFL players.

The results suggest that treating former athletes who have both high blood pressure and a history of concussions ...

When kids suffer a concussion, an extended period of rest at home is always the best course, right? Perhaps not.

In fact, a new study suggests that -- despite what many people may presume -- getting kids back to school quickly is the best way to boost ...

Some college athletes take longer to recover from a concussion, but a new study offers them some good news.

They may still be able to return to play -- after one extra month of recovery, researchers report Jan. 18 in the journal Neurology.

"Although an athlete may experience a slow or delayed recovery, there is reason to believe recovery is achievable with additional time ...

Former elite football players may age faster than their more average peers, a new study suggests.

NFL players, especially former linemen, had fewer disease-free years and earlier high blood pressure and diabetes diagnoses. Two age-related diseases, arthritis and dementia, were also more commonly found in former football players than in other men of the same age.

This research was p...

A particular brain wave may help diagnose concussions in high school football players and predict when it's safe for them to return to play, new research suggests.

Delta waves are markers of brain injury and perhaps healing. They tend to decrease with age, but researchers found increased levels of these lo...

Tackling drills are typically a staple of high school football practices, but new research suggests dropping them from training might cut the risk of head hits.

Using mouth guards with sensors that recorded every head hit, researchers found players who spent 5,144 minutes in non-contact practice had just 310 head hits, while those who had nearly 7,000 minutes in high-speed training with c...

A leading medical journal, the British Journal of Sports Medicine, has retracted nine more articles written by its former editor-in-chief and applied “expressions of concern” on 38 additional articles on which he is the sole author that were published in BMJ journals.

This is the latest development in the investigation, which concerns possible plagiarism and misrep...

At some schools, grassy sports fields have been replaced by easier-to-maintain synthetic turf.

But it turns out that may be more likely to cause player injuries.

Noting that synthetic turf football fields have been associated with more ankle and knee injuries, medical stude...

New research suggests you can add rugby players to the list of professional athletes who face a significantly heightened risk of brain diseases following years of intense contact play.

“This latest work under our FIELD program of research demonstrates that risk of