USC Aims to Continuously Track for a TBI

USC engineer Yasser Khan has won a 2026 DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) Young Faculty Award to develop a wearable patch for traumatic brain injury. This new patch would detect biomarkers of inflammation and neural damage, along with stress signals, using miniaturized chemical-sensing transistors. Such technology would give doctors a continuous picture that static CT or MRI scans can miss. Financially, this award will result in approximately $700,000 government backing over two years, though the financial assistance could potentially be up to $1.2 million.

While wearable brain injury detectors do exist, it appears that they measure force, not injury: Prevent Biometrics’ smart mouthguards has been mandatory in World Rugby, the international governing body for the rugby union, since 2024. Soldiers’ Blast Gauge sensors log impacts and blast pressure. Abbott’s i-STAT TBI blood test, BrainScope’s EEG and EyeBOX eye-tracking are one-time clinical checks. The continuous tracking of USC’s still-to-be-developed patch is what makes it unique.

USC frames TBI patients as the beneficiaries, through DARPA backing and planned Defense Department approvals suggest military interest.

Congress Still Seeks Answers on Soldiers’ Brain Injuries in Kuwait

Seven months ago, an Iranian drone strike on Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, killed six U.S. soldiers, and injured many others. Recently, nine wounded service members spoke on the record to the Associated Press, stating that the military medical system failed them.

Reportedly, several soldiers who were victims of this drone strike waited weeks for a traumatic brain injury diagnosis, and some were not diagnosed until they returned to the United States.  While Army Lieutenant Arturo Lincón had shrapnel damage to an artery feeding his brain was recognized at the time, he was not admitted to a medical center. (A Pentagon official said medical center’s mission is to stabilize patients for transfer, not to admit them.) Major Stephen Ramsbottom was not diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury until he returned to the States and then waited another four months for MRI results.

Excessive delays and other such failures have been a near certainty within the United States military medical system, no matter who the president is, nor who has the majority in Congress. Recent delays reported in the U.S.-Iran conflict prompted intervention from Senator Tammy Baldwin (WI) in August 2026. The following month, on September 22, Senator Elizabeth Warren (MA), Representative Pat Ryan (NY) and 19 bicameral lawmakers submitted a letter calling for a public hearing about the reported failures.

UC Leads National Study of Support for Brain Injury Caregivers

The NIH announced on October 6, 2026, that they have provided a R01 grant of $2.5 million to University of Cincinnati researchers. Building on the positive results of an earlier and smaller study, this five-year study is instead a larger national trial of a wellness program for families caring for loved ones with traumatic brain injuries.

Researchers present a $2,450,000 NIH research grant check at UC Health College of Medicine; banner reads “Congratulations on the R01 Grant!” and check names University of Cincinnati, Caregiver Wellness After Traumatic Brain Injury Program, and Dr. Natalie Kreitzer, MD.

Led by Natalie Kreitzer, MD, UC, the Caregiver Wellness After Traumatic Brain Injury Program tests a web- and phone-based program. Caregivers will be guided through personal stress and distress, coping, patient outcomes and cost following a loved one’s traumatic brain injury, in addition to other related topics, such as medical leave, the move from the ICU to rehab, and preparing the home. Involving input not only from UC, but also The Ohio State University, Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Washington, the goal is for 354 patient-caregiver pairs to enroll, with a set start date in early 2027.

Benefits of Tomatoes for All, Including the Brain Injured

In a trial indexed in the NLM’s PubMed database (PMC13203555) in May 2026, Antioxidants (a scientific journal from the Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute based in Switzerland) published a study of 42 healthy adults who ate a measured amount of tomato paste daily for three months. At the end of the study, the participants gained 7.2 points on standardized cognitive tests in measurements of concentration. The authors determined that, “neural changes suggest that tomato intake, specifically lycopene, promotes functional reorganization of large-scale brain networks, enhancing neural efficiency and adaptability through the pruning of redundant cross-network interactions.”

Bowl of tomatoes, tomato paste jar, and basil tomato drink on table

Wide news coverage followed the publication of these finding, as it was “the first clinical trial to link changes in the antioxidant lycopene with alterations in functional brain connectivity.” These findings are promising and suggest that the lycopene in tomato paste is beneficial to all, though the study results are limited, as it only examined the effects on healthy participants.

Evidence of the benefit of tomato juice on those with a traumatic brain injury came recently from elsewhere. A 2026 Scientific Reports trial of 67 traumatic brain injury patients found that those given 300mL (1.25 cups) of tomato juice daily for 14 days had a lower C-reactive protein level, a higher Glasgow Coma Scale score and a shortened intensive care unit stay. Clinical investigations have also confirmed that lycopene reduces inflammatory markers and improves gastrointestinal and neurological functions in patients with TBI. 

Incorporating tomato paste and tomato juice into your diet is quite easy, and tasty. For example, thick uncooked tomato paste can be a base for bruschetta. Tomato juice is the base of a (Virgin) Bloody Mary. Additionally, a 2005 NLM-indexed study titled Increases in plasma lycopene concentration after consumption of tomatoes cooked with olive oil shows that tomato products retain lycopene after cooking, so simply adding tomato paste into sauce is beneficial.

NHL Return Possible for Faber after Skull Fracture

Skull model labeled “Fracture: 1952 Hockey Incident,” “Hairline crack,” and “Break”

Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber is out indefinitely after a deflected shot from Dallas Stars forward Sam Steel struck him near his left ear, an area the helmet doesn’t protect, on September 25, 2026. He had surgery two days later. The NHL team hasn’t said what kind of fracture it is, but a skull fracture is likely. According to the National Library of Medicine’s MedlinePlus, a skull fracture can damage brain tissue directly, or cause bleeding beneath the skull that compresses the brain. In a depressed skull fracture, broken bone is pushed inward toward the brain.

NHL history shows he can come back to play after his injury. Boston’s Ted Green suffered a life-threatening compound skull fracture in a 1969 stick fight. He needed three brain surgeries and a year of recovery. He then helped Boston win the 1972 Stanley Cup and played eight seasons of professional hockey.

Research indexed in NLM’s PubMed supports cautious optimism. A neurosurgery review found that after brain surgery for a sports injury, 40% to 50% of experts would advise those with such fractures to consider a return to play, but only after 6 to 12 months recuperation. However, about 80% opposed a return to collision sports if bleeding persisted.

Examination of Lindsay Clancy’s Brain

As widely reported, on September 4, the judge declared a mistrial in Lindsay Clancy’s triple-murder trial. Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse, pleaded not guilty to killing her three children on Jan. 24, 2023. Her defense argued she was suffering from postpartum psychosis, a psychiatric disorder. Prosecutors, however, called on a forensic psychiatrist, who testified that she “retained the capacities that were required for having criminal responsibility,” ABC News reported.

Questions about brain injury came up in the medical testimony. A January 24 jump from a second-floor window, following the strangulation of her kids, left Clancy paralyzed from the waist down. While one doctor testified that Clancy’s head CT was “unremarkable,” as reported by Boston 25, a defense pathologist testified that Clancy did a “freefall dive head first,” causing a C1 (first cervical vertebra) Jefferson fracture.

According to a 2021 report available on the NLM database, “Jefferson fractures with potential tears in the transverse ligament can cause cervical spine instability and can result in neurologic injury if not appropriately diagnosed and managed.” The NLM database also includes the results of a 2011 study on the rare neurological condition Collet-Sicard Syndrome due to Jefferson fracture. The report reveals that the examined patient had decreased gag reflex on the left side, decreased laryngeal elevation, tongue deviation to the left side, and atrophy of the left trapezius. Jefferson fracture, though, does not directly cause cognitive impairment.

Newsweek reported that Clancy had no skull fracture or brain bleed. A psychiatrist testified that Clancy’s brief delirium in the hospital could have been caused by anesthesia, oxygen problems or an elevated heart rate, and that it resolved, reported CBS Boston and Fox News. After the trial, defense attorney Kevin Reddington claimed she came out of “this obvious coma” with “no memory,” CNN reported.

As of now, no decision on whether or not to retry the case appears to have been made.

Christa Pike Survived Her Execution. Did Her Mind?

Tennessee tried to execute Christa Gail Pike via lethal injection on September 30. The convicted killer was unsuccessfully given two doses of pentobarbital. (According to the NLM database, pentobarbital is a barbiturate that primarily acts on the central nervous system. It is approved by the FDA for managing seizures, status epilepticus, and short-term treatment of insomnia. In higher doses, it is an anticonvulsant for emergent seizure control and for inducing medically induced comas.)  Currently, Pike is unconscious and on a ventilator. She has burned and blistered arms, suggesting the drug leaked into tissue instead of her veins. A brain injury is likely but has not been confirmed.

Nearly all execution methods kill by depriving the brain of oxygen. Pentobarbital suppresses breathing. Nitrogen removes oxygen directly. Beyond pharmaceutical means, electrocution can burn the brainstem, and hanging and firing squads cut off blood flow. However, a method may not fully work, as a person can survive a stretch of low oxygen, resulting in hypoxic brain injury.oxygen

Periodic table featuring pentobarbital only

Earlier survivors of pharmaceutical execution, including Romell Broom and Kenneth Smith, lived because staff never got an IV line working. Pike is the first person known to survive after the drugs were given.

In a broader sense, recreational drug overdose often involves medications used in the medical field, but at a much smaller dose. Typically, emergency services come quickly. Reportedly, it took more than an hour for Pike to receive emergency treatment. According to prison protocol, inmates who survive or experience acute medical distress during the process are legally required to be transferred to an off-site medical facility for life-saving care.

Her recovery depends on how long her brain was deprived of oxygen, which is unknown. The law generally allows a second attempt. But if she can no longer understand why she is being executed, Supreme Court rulings forbid it. Gov. Bill Lee has paused executions in Tennessee pending an independent review.

The Ride of a Lifetime, or a Lifetime Injury?

For years, thrill-seekers lined up at Six Flags Magic Mountain to be spun, flipped and dropped at 76 mph on X2. Now more than 100 say that momentary thrill left them brain-injured. On September 21, three riders sued the park and the ride’s car manufacturer, alleging brain bleeds, some requiring emergency surgery. Separately, Six Flags recently settled a wrongful-death suit following a man’s death from head trauma after riding X2 in 2022.

Roller coaster inspection scene with safety gear, Mechanical Inspection checklist, and ECG waveform labeled P, Q, S, T

Doctors state that through the rides’ rapid acceleration-deceleration, force can make the brain bleed even when the head hits nothing.

Currently, there is no national database of ride accidents, and no federal agency polices fixed-site rides. Permanently installed rides have been exempt from federal safety oversight since 1981. Rides are subject to state rules, such as that in California: Cal/OSHA closes hazardous rides and fine operators up to $70,000. On March 5, 2025, Rep. André Carson (IN) introduced HR1855, the National Amusement Park Ride Safety Act, “to amend the Consumer Product Safety Act to ensure amusement rides permanently fixed to a site are treated as consumer products.” In response, the amusement park industry’s trade group, IAAPA, says states already inspect rides.

For now, the thrill remains and can be enjoyed, with caution in mind.

Senate Marks National Concussion Awareness Day

The U.S. Senate unanimously consented to a resolution supporting the designation of September 18, 2026, as National Concussion Awareness Day, on September 23.

Cosponsored by Sen. Maggie Hassan (NH) and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (WV), S.Res. 892 encourages federal, state, and local policymakers to raise awareness and improve understanding of diagnosis and management of this most common form of mild traumatic brain injury and calls for further research and prevention efforts. To support this, the resolution cites a number of statistics, including CDC data noting “between 2001 and 2018, an estimated 3,800,000 children under age 17 visited an emergency department because of a traumatic brain injury sustained during sports- or recreation-related activities.”

“Recognizing the signs of a concussion early helps people get the treatment they need to prevent lasting neurological damage from these injuries,” Hassan said. Capito concurred: “Improving concussion prevention, raising awareness, and strengthening diagnosis and treatment are critical to keeping athletes, coaches, parents, and others safe and informed on the field and in the workplace.

CA Chooses Prevention vs Punishment for E-bikers

Electric bicycle with helmet and reflective vest on a bike path

The average e-bikes can travel up to 28 mph. However, drivers may have little or none of the training required to drive vehicles that can obtain that speed.  Young e-bike riders suffer traumatic brain injuries at nearly twice the rate of traditional cyclists, and fewer than half of hospitalized riders wore helmets. To address this, California has passed a law that chooses prevention over punishment, seemingly similar to the law requiring that teenagers take Driver’s Education classes.

On August 27, 2026, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1569, directing the California Department of Education, with the California Highway Patrol, to build a standardized e-bike safety and training program for students in grades 7 through 12 by March 2028. Sponsored by Assemblymembers Laurie Davies and Phillip Chen, the Pupil safety: electric bicycle: safety and training program bill unanimously passed the Assembly 77–0.

California’s attempt to address the risks of e-bikes, brain injury and otherwise, through the classroom, contrasts the approach of eleven other states that currently require licenses for their operation: Alabama, Alaska, Connecticut, Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, West Virginia, New Mexico, North Dakota, and New Jersey, the strictest. It will be interesting to compare the efficacy of these approaches and to see if some sort of a combination of law and education is needed.