Category Archives: Government/Research

Congressional Visit Highlights CU COMBAT Center’s Great Work

Rep. Jeff Crank (CO, 5th District) recently toured the CU Anschutz Center for COMBAT Research, the nation’s largest academic military health research program. Crank, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee and who’s district is home to five military installations, the United States Air Force Academy and a large veteran population, praised the center’s “great work” saving servicemembers’ lives. (Previously, Crank co-sponsored the bipartisan SMART for TBI Act with Rep. Jason Crow, requiring the military to develop AI-driven traumatic brain injury treatments.)

The COMBAT Center, focused on blast-related injuries, including brain injury, has robust government engagement through over 80 Department of War-funded research grants and educational partnerships with the Defense Health Agency, Uniformed Services University, and the U.S. Air Force Academy. These collaborations have updated 13 military clinical practice guidelines and modernized training for thousands of combat medics.

This partnership between congressional leadership and academic research continues advancing innovative solutions that benefit both military and civilian communities.

Teletherapy Promising for TBI Emotional Recovery

A major government-funded initiative is further advancing the understanding of teletherapy for emotional health challenges following traumatic brain injury. In December 2025, the U.S. Department of War announced a $4.3 million multi-site study testing Building Emotional Self-Awareness Teletherapy (BEST), led by the Hackensack Meridian JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute (NJ) and designed to help brain injury survivors recognize and regulate emotions.

The DoW’s Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs is funding this nationwide study through its Traumatic Brain Injury and Psychological Health Research Program with partner institutions, including the Indiana University School of Medicine, the National Intrepid Center of Excellence, and the University of South Florida. The study will enroll 152 civilian and military participants experiencing emotional dysregulation after mild traumatic brain injury.

The federal government’s exploration into telehealth, in relation to brain injury, has long been studied. As early as 2003, the NIH reported that, “A case study is presented in which teletherapy was successfully utilized to improve the functional outcomes, both physical and cognitive, of a patient with a severe TBI.” More recent government-supported research, led by the University of Washington and UC San Diego and published in July 2025 in Frontiers in Neurology found that telehealth interventions significantly improved depression, anxiety, PTSD, and sleep symptoms in service members with concussions.

Preliminary results are encouraging: 83% of BEST participants reported noticeable improvement in functioning. These developments offer hope that accessible remote therapy can transform emotional recovery for millions affected by brain injury.

Holiday Season’s Favorite Flavor Could Help Brain Injury Recovery

The aroma of candy canes dangling from Christmas trees, the rich sweetness of peppermint bark shared among friends, the warming comfort of peppermint hot chocolate on a cold night, mint is a staple of winter season. Throughout the years, scientists involved in various studies have found that the benefits of mint go beyond taste.

Menthol, mint’s active compound, can be thought of as a targeted healing agent. Millenia ago, Aretaeus of Cappadocia, a physician in the 2nd century AD in Ancient Greece, first documented mint’s effects on the nervous system when he recommended it to treat epilepsy, a possible side effect of brain injury. A 2022 study in the Journal of Neuroinflammation showed it reduced stroke damage and accelerated recovery. How? By calming inflammation in injured brain tissue, ramping up the body’s natural antioxidant defenses, and improving blood flow to areas desperately needing oxygen and nutrients – the trifecta of post-injury healing.

Studies found in the NIH database confirm that mint doesn’t just freshen breath, it strengthens the brain. A 2018 trial discovered that spearmint extract improved working memory by 15%, while 2008 research revealed that simply smelling peppermint enhanced memory and alertness.

Most exciting? A groundbreaking May 2025 study from Northumbria University found that drinking just one cup of peppermint tea significantly boosted memory, attention, and working memory in healthy adults, with effects appearing within mere minutes. “Those people who had drunk the peppermint tea had better long-term memory,” explains Dr. Mark Moss of Northumbria University, whose research appears in NIH databases. That simple cup of tea may do more for your brain than you ever imagined.

While mint may be a star in the winter, you don’t have to limit consumption of the mint to December. Summer brings mojitos and mint juleps mocktails. Mediterranean kitchens toss mint into tabbouleh salad and swirl it into creamy tzatziki. And, of course, fresh mint ice cream is always a tasty dessert. From ancient remedy to modern superfood, this versatile herb truly deserves a spot at your table year-round.

Counterintuitive TBI Quality of Life Results in Eastern European Nations

Reported by Scientific Reports, on nature.com, and published by the NIH on November 25, 2025, a new study sheds light on the burden of traumatic brain injury in three post-Soviet nations – Armenia, Georgia, and Moldova. This “first of its kind research” reveals that injury severity alone failed to predict patient recovery, challenging conventional clinical assumptions.

The study, led by Diana Dulf and colleagues from Babes-Bolyai University (Romania) in collaboration with universities in all three countries, analyzed 386 adult TBI patients admitted to major trauma hospitals between March and September 2019.  Of these patients, falls accounted for 51% of injuries while road traffic incidents caused nearly 30% of their brain injuries. The study’s most striking discovery was a negative correlation between injury severity and reported quality of life (r = −0.29, p < 0.001). Patients with mild TBI did not consistently report higher quality of life than those with more severe injuries

What makes this research particularly significant is its focus on low and middle-income countries, where TBI occurs more frequently yet receives far less attention than in wealthier nations. Quality of life scores varied notably by country, with Moldova and Armenia showing higher outcomes compared to Georgia. The “disability paradox” that was found suggests that local healthcare systems and rehabilitation support may play a significant and crucial role in recovery and challenges conventional assumptions about recovery trajectories. Age, country of residence, and having additional injuries alongside the brain trauma proved to be stronger predictors of reduced quality of life than injury severity alone.

Military Brain Injury Research Receives $5.3 Million Federal Grant

University of Virginia School of Medicine and Naval Medical Research Command researchers received a $5.3 million Department of Defense grant announced November 21, 2025, to combat blast-related brain injuries affecting military personnel.

“This is about moving from concern to capability, turning careful science into practical ways to identify, prevent, and treat blast-related brain injury,” said Dr. James Stone, a UVA Health radiologist leading the research. The four research projects will explore the neurovascular unit—where blood vessels and brain tissue interact—and how damage to this system causes chronic health conditions.

Dr. Stone explained that many service members “do not feel like the person they were before they entered the military” due to blast exposures, noting that providing diagnosis and explanation “would be an enormous contribution to this community.”

The project builds on nearly 20 years of research and aims to develop biomarkers, establish safe exposure limits, and create treatment protocols.

“We are very optimistic that the work being done right now is going to make a real difference for these affected populations,” Stone said.

Brain-Boosting Nutrient: Choline

“Choline is critically important for brain functions,” said Dr. Ramon Velazquez of Arizona State University-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center in 2024, noting that research links it to better cognitive function and lower Alzheimer’s risk. According to a 2024 report from the Cleveland Clinic, choline is essential in “helping your brain and nervous system manage your food and memory,” through its control of the slow of methylation, “which controls how genes are turned into proteins so your cells can grow.”

As has been shown in the past decades, consumption of choline is a boon to all people. NIH-published studies, though, have also proven its specific and special benefit for those with brain injuries. According to NCBI information, the nutrient choline plays a crucial role in building cell membranes and producing acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter vital for memory and muscle control. This month, November 2025, UC Davis reported, “A new study finds the essential nutrient is 8% lower in the brains of people with generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder and social anxiety disorder,” common emotional effects that follow a brain injury.

However, while studies show dietary choline supplementation can improve spatial memory, reduce brain inflammation, and preserve cortical tissue following traumatic brain injury, doctors say that most people don’t consume enough. Beyond eggs, food sources of this nutrient include beef liver, salmon, chicken, and brussel sprouts. Based solely on nutrient research, an omelet, filled with broccoli, chicken and cheese, seems to me to be a easy, tasty and choline-rich lunch choice.

(The recommended daily intake of choline, also referred to as Vitamin B4, is 550 mg daily for men and 425 mg for women. Choline supplements are also widely available, with the tolerable upper limit of 3,500 mg daily.)

Hard Hats & Neural Nets: Scaffolding’s Life-or-Death Role

During severe weather at Utah’s RedWest music festival in October 2025, a 2’x12’ scaffolding board broke loose from a nearby construction site and struck 23-year-old Ava Ahlander, killing her instantly. This tragedy underscores construction scaffolding’s critical vulnerability—despite providing essential support for workers, these temporary structures can traumatically injure or turn deadly when they fail.

The stakes are staggering. “In 2023, 5,283 workers lost their lives. That means a worker dies every 99 minutes,” stated Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker in December 2024. While that death rate is a conglomeration of all construction deaths, in 2022 alone, falls from elevation claimed 365 construction workers’ lives – additionally, it does not note the rate of disability.

Yet inside our skulls exists another type of scaffolding—neural networks that support brain function. Unlike construction platforms that can be dismantled and rebuilt, brain scaffolding faces unique repair challenges. Traumatic brain injury severely limits the brain’s natural regeneration capacity.

Now researchers are developing biodegradable polymer scaffolds seeded with neural progenitor cells to bridge the gap. These biological structures can reduce lesion volume, promote neurite outgrowth, and significantly improve motor function after brain injury. As noted in a June 2025 NIH-published study How neural stem cell therapy promotes brain repair after stroke, understanding how these stem cell grafts promote neural repair “remains incompletely understood.”

While construction scaffolding must be secured to prevent tragedy, our own scaffolding benefits from neuroplasticity—the remarkable ability to reorganize and heal.

UC/DVA Brain-Gut Study Results May Bring Relief

“Colorado researchers think they might be able to help veterans with traumatic brain injury and PTSD by improving the health of their gut microbiome,” reported Colorado Public Radio on November 9, 2025.

A University of Colorado School of Medicine study, focused on veterans who experience both brain injury symptoms and severe gastrointestinal distress, has just wrapped up. As Dr. Lisa Brenner, a clinical research psychologist at the Department of Veterans Affairs and the UC School of Medicine, and the lead researcher for this study, says, “One soldier I talked to started talking to me about how in addition to his brain injury symptoms, his guts hurt for several weeks after he was exposed to a blast.”

The research team used Lactobacillus rhamnosus, a specific probiotic strain designed to reduce inflammation and calm the body’s systems. Though full results with not be available until next year, researchers emphasize their focus on scientifically validated – single-strain probiotics rather than over-the-counter multi-strain products, ensuring precise treatment effects for veterans in need.

This targeted OTC approach could decrease TBI symptoms for all brain injury survivors.

Emotional Release with the Mocktail

America is now three days past the 2025 elections, the results of which may have either brought celebration or disappointment. Regardless, this weekend may be one of excess drinking of adult beverages. Before partaking, though, people with and without a brain injury should know the neurological facts of imbibing:

Alcohol attacks your brain in multiple ways.  A 2025 American Academy of Neurology study of 1,781 brain autopsies found heavy drinkers had 133% more brain lesions—damaged tissue that chokes off blood flow and causes memory problems.

Despite knowing that alcohol’s negative effects, a person may to choose to indulge in a social setting to release stress or to just “fit in” with the crowd. Those with brain injuries, though, often already have daily struggles in social skills (the words they communicate, intonation, voice volume, use of gestures, facial expressions, body positioning) and should be more cautious. Unlike the general public, for which the NIH-published scientific results are less clear, science has determined there’s no safe drinking level for those with brain injuries.  Many medications specifically state “no alcohol”.  Additionally, a 2025 National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism review found TBI and alcohol create a synergistic effect—together they trigger far worse inflammation and damage than either alone.

What about wine’s “brain-cleaning” benefits? A 2025 Stanford research report debunked this theory, exposing that earlier studies suffered from selection bias when comparing moderate drinkers to “abstainers”. Apparently, these “abstainers” were often former heavy drinkers who had stop due to their failing health. When properly analyzed, the protective effects vanished. Even low alcohol doses damage DNA and disrupt brain signaling. 

The good news? Brain damage from alcohol abuse may reverse with abstinence, as nerve cells regenerate. Additionally, more alcohol-centric establishments now offer popular and tasty mocktails as an alternative.  

Gambling At Odds With Your Brain

Hollywood has long depicted the brutal consequences of gambling debt. In Casino, debtors are beaten with baseball bats and buried alive. Uncut Gems, a favorite of mine, shows Adam Sandler’s character shot in the face despite finally winning enough to pay everyone back. These fictional beatings causing head trauma mirrors a darker real-world cycle: brain injuries can themselves create devastating gambling vulnerabilities.

Gambling is legal and gambling establishments exist in 48 states and they are engineered to entice. Casinos use specific lighting, no clocks, free alcohol, and calculated rewards to keep people playing. Online gambling apps employ similar tactics through notifications, bonus offers, and easy one-click betting designed to override rational decision-making. These manipulative tactics can be especially perilous for brain injury survivors. A 2020 study found brain injury survivors face 2.8 times higher odds of developing gambling problems.

Traumatic brain injuries can affect the prefrontal cortex and orbitofrontal regions. This can then cause behavioral changes by disrupting impulse control, creating powerful urges that override rational thinking and causing disinhibition. On August 8, 2025, the NIH published results of a study that found the dopamine system can also be dysregulated, driving brain injury survivors to seek the stimulation that gambling provides. A person with a brain injury may simply struggle to recognize they’re losing, calculate odds accurately, or stop when they should.

The consequences can be devastating. In one case, a construction worker who sustained a workplace head injury lost $80,000 at Las Vegas casinos within six months, unable to process his mounting losses due to impaired executive function. Thankfully, his family intervened before complete financial ruin.

Hope exists: There are support organizations, such as Gamblers Anonymous (https://gamblersanonymous.org/) which reports 50-70% sustained recovery rates. For those with brain injuries, overcoming this addiction may require both addiction and cognitive rehabilitation, but recovery is very possible.