Blog
Veterans with chronic headaches interested in complementary and integrative medicine provided by the VHA
A study found that “veterans with chronic headache were very interested in combining alternatives, such as acupuncture, massage, yoga or tai chi, with mainstream medicine and that they were encouraged by the fact that alternatives exist to simply taking additional pharmaceuticals for pain.”
Combat-related concussion increases odds of long-term disability in Veterans in a prospective 10-year study
Dr. Mac Donald et al. conducted a 10-year prospective study of veterans deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan to determine the trajectory of disability within this population and identify which subset of the population is most at risk. Their study demonstrated that veterans who sustained a concussion in combat had “very high odds of poor long-term outcome trajectory.”
Sleep quality may explain the connection between mood dysregulation and neurodegeneration following TBI
A study by Jackie L. Gottshall et al. found that poor sleep quality may be an "important driver of the relationships" between common post-mTBI neuropsychiatric disorders—major depressive disorder (MDD), post-concussive symptoms (PCS), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)—and biomarkers of neurodegeneration.
Post-concussion return to play injuries reduced for athletes who received neuromuscular training, Colorado study finds
According to a preliminary research study published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, an 8-week neuromuscular training (NMT) intervention on sports-related injuries of young athletes may lead to a 3.5 times lower risk of injury when they return to play post-concussion.
Hope on the horizon: MRI may help diagnose CTE in living patients
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) can only be diagnosed after death via autopsy. However, according to new research published in Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy, MRIs may soon detect CTE in people still alive, allowing doctors to make an earlier diagnosis.