Head Trauma News and Research

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Head injury refers to trauma to the head. This may or may not include injury to the brain. However, the terms traumatic brain injury and head injury are often used interchangeably in the medical literature.

Why researchers are looking at psilocybin for repeated mild head injuries

In female rats with repetitive mild head injury, psilocybin reduced acute imaging measures consistent with vasogenic edema and phosphorylated tau while altering vascular reactivity, functional connectivity, neurotrophic proteins, and lipid signaling. The findings provide preclinical evidence of potential therapeutic effects, but behavioral benefits were limited, and whether these biological changes translate into lasting neurological protection or benefits in humans remains unknown.

9 Sep 2026

Research links low-energy falls to triage undertreatment in female brain injuries

Female patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) are 26% less likely to be admitted to a specialized trauma center than males, according to a study on data from Ontario published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.251721. This difference persisted even after the researchers accounted for factors such as age, severity of injury, other health conditions, and socioeconomic circumstances.

15 Jun 2026

Study identifies immune pathway driving long-term concussion damage

Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) - even mild concussions - may trigger a chain reaction in the brain that disrupts neuronal communication, long-term memory, and cognition, according to University of California, Riverside research investigating how the brain's immune system responds after injury.

12 Jun 2026

Do repeated football head hits disrupt the gut microbiome?

A small exploratory study of collegiate football players found that non-concussive head impacts are correlationally linked to acute and season-long shifts in gut microbiome composition, with changes most pronounced 48–72 hours after significant impacts. However, most associations weakened after correction for multiple testing, and the authors stress the findings are preliminary and hypothesis-generating.

10 May 2026

Noninvasive brain monitoring reveals hidden oxygen deprivation in ICU patients

In neurological intensive care, it is quickly learned that the brain cannot wait. As the most sensitive organ in the human body, it can sustain irreversible damage after just a few minutes of severe hypoxia.

27 Apr 2026

New guidelines aim to improve concussion care for first responders

Management of sports-related concussions has come a long way in the past 25 years: Once considered a minor problem involving minimal time out of the game, a severe knock to the head is now assessed as a potential traumatic brain injury and, if confirmed, requires a structured recovery and an average wait of 13 days before play resumes.

6 Apr 2026

Study finds around six nightclub deaths occur annually in the UK

Around 6 deaths a year are linked to clubbing in the UK, finds a 15 year retrospective study published online in Emergency Medicine Journal.

4 Mar 2026

New score predicts complications after mild traumatic brain injury

A study led by researchers at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine of Lleida (IRBLleida), the University of Lleida (UdL), the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) and Arnau de Vilanova University Hospital (HUAV) has developed and internally validated a clinical prediction model called the Goliat score, which can be used by emergency services to estimate the risk of acute complications in patients suffering from minor and moderate traumatic brain injuries (TBIs).

3 Feb 2026

Traumatic brain injury disrupts brain drainage and accelerates Alzheimer’s risk

University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers have uncovered how and why traumatic brain injury (TBI) increases the risk for Alzheimer's disease, and their work suggests a potential way to prevent that increased risk.

16 Dec 2025

Drinking three to four cups of coffee a day may slow cellular aging

New findings reveal that 3-4 cups of coffee daily may enhance telomere length, potentially slowing cellular aging in individuals with severe mental disorders.

28 Nov 2025

Head trauma impairs brain waste clearance in professional fighters

The brain's waste-clearing system significantly declines in function with repeated head impacts, according to a new study of cognitively impaired professional boxers and mixed martial arts fighters. The findings will be presented next week at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

26 Nov 2025

Study finds more commonalities between CTE and Alzheimer's disease at the genetic level

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) – most often found in athletes playing contact sports – is known to share similarities with Alzheimer's disease (AD), namely the buildup of a protein called tau in the brain.

30 Oct 2025

Subtle brain changes in football players could predict the risk of chronic traumatic encephalopathy

Brain scans from American football players reveal subtle differences in the brain's outer grooves when compared to scans from otherwise healthy men who never played contact or collision sports, a new study shows.

28 Oct 2025

What’s more dangerous, road cycling or mountain biking?

Researchers in Barcelona analyzed 149 injured cyclists and found that while mountain biking accidents were more frequent, road cycling caused more severe injuries, especially head trauma. Older age strongly increased injury severity in road cyclists, highlighting a vulnerable group in need of attention.

29 Sep 2025

Frequent soccer heading linked to alterations within the folds of the brain

In amateur soccer players, more frequent heading, or using the head to control or pass the ball, is linked to alterations within the folds of the brain, according to a study published on September 17, 2025, in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

17 Sep 2025

Contact sports tied to hidden brain damage independent of CTE

This fall, tens of millions of people will be at risk for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease caused by repeated head impacts from contact sports like football, soccer, and ice hockey, or military service.

17 Sep 2025

Repetitive head impacts trigger early brain changes in young athletes

Research supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) shows that repeated head impacts from contact sports can cause early and lasting changes in the brains of young- to middle-aged athletes.

17 Sep 2025

E-scooter riders are three times more likely than cyclists to end up in hospital, study shows

Stand-up electric scooter riders in Helsinki are over three times more likely than cyclists to sustain injuries requiring emergency care, with head trauma and alcohol use significantly more common in scooter crashes. Helmet use among scooter riders remains exceptionally low.

30 Jul 2025

Warfarin use not linked to higher brain bleed risk after falls in older adults

There are about 70 million baby boomers in the United States, many now over age 65. As people age, rates of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases rise, leading to more use of blood thinners such as warfarin.

29 Jul 2025

Addressing avoidable hospitalizations in terminally ill nursing home residents

Hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits can be distressing and costly for nursing home residents – especially those who are severely impaired or terminally ill. Despite their vulnerability, these individuals are frequently transferred to hospitals, even though up to 40% of such transfers over the past 25 years are considered potentially avoidable by health care professionals.

25 Jul 2025