Category Archives: Links

“A day of humanity and generosity”

Giving Tuesday is, “a gentle reminder that even small acts of kindness – financial or otherwise – can have a big impact on communities. For many nonprofits, the donations they receive on this day help sustain their missions throughout the year,” states the IRS, further noting, “It may be better to give than to receive [as] certain donations made to qualified organizations may be tax deductible.”

This morning, December 2, 2025, it has been reported that, “Trump makes announcement on ‘Trump accounts’ for babies…,” as it was announced, “Michael Dell [the founder, chairman, and CEO of Dell Technologies] will deposit $250 into each qualified child’s investment account, which they said the Treasury plans to launch on July 4, 2026.”

Nonprofits that support the brain injured, through research, care, etc., always need support. While there are many ways to show support, certain organizations, such as the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA), double financial donations on Giving Tuesday.

Historic Federal Shutdown Resolved as Disability Services Faced Collapse

“The House of Representatives passed the ‘Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, abd Extensions Act, 2026’, with a vote of 222 to 209… after a damaging and unnecessary shutdown that lasted 43 days,” states a press release on the Committee on Appropriations section of the House of Representatives site.

The longest congressional government shutdown in U.S. history ended November 12, 2025, after 43 days, and 15 votes, that threatened the funding of critical services for people with brain injuries and disabilities. The House passed the Senate Appropriations Committee’s spending bill H.R.5371 with a vote of 222-209. President Trump signed the bill into law at 10:25 PM EST.

As was widely reported, the shutdown disrupted Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program November benefits for 42 million Americans. Nearly 14 million people with disabilities rely on SNAP benefits.  Senator John Fetterman, who suffered a stroke in 2022, was among eight Democrats who voted with Republicans to end the shutdown. He stated: “I refuse to gamble with the food insecurity of 42 million Americans”.

Many financial assistance government programs that benefit the brain injured population are state-based: Supplemental Security Income, employment services, support for independent living healthcare, such as Medicaid and state-specific programs. As such, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) payments thankfully continued without interruption, though other crucial services suffered.

However, many disability advocacy organizations operated “on fumes,” with some stopping new cases entirely. Maria Town, President of the Washington D.C. located nonprofit American Association of People with Disabilities, warned: “Given how many people with disabilities rely on benefits from government programs, this shutdown is especially harmful for the disability community”. The Tennessee Rehabilitation Center in Smyrna closed completely due to lack of federal funding, while Arkansas suspended rehabilitation services starting November 1.

Interestingly, the government shutdown, officially termed a “lapse in appropriations”, was not introduced to the Country as a negotiating “tool” until 1980, during the presidency of Jimmy Carter.  Since that time, most Presidents have weathered these shutdowns. Only two, Ronald Reagan and Donald J. Trump, weathered 3 shutdowns while in office. If history is to be the guide, this government inaction will soon be forgotten, which is both a positive and great negative for America’s well-being.

Link: Target Shooting Could Be Causing Brain Injuries.

Today, November 4, 2025, the New York Times reported on the dangers of recreational shooting, specifically the risk of brain injury. While the article provides common sense information: military-style weaponry pose a greater risk, “the data also showed that indoor shooting ranges designed to make shooting safe inadvertently make blast exposure worse — doubling and sometimes tripling the amplitude of the blast.”

While it may seem that numerous studies are “telling” citizens to halt many recreational activities that are practiced to relieve stress – alcohol, smoking – legal and illegal, gambling, shooting, etc. – it is important to be informed of the most recent scientific findings before making personal decisions.

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.

“Celebrating Value & Talent”

October 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). This year’s theme “Celebrating Value and Talent” recognizes the contributions of workers with disabilities. Despite progress, significant employment gaps persist. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics from February 2025, only 22.7 percent of people with disabilities were employed in 2024, compared to 65.5 percent of those without disabilities.

Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer emphasized the importance of observance this year, stating, “Celebrating America means celebrating the value and talent that all Americans – including people with disabilities – add to our nation’s workplaces and communities.”

As we commemorate this milestone anniversary, all Americans must renew our commitment to creating workplaces that celebrate the value and talent of all workers.

CDC – TBI in the Workplace Facts (8/5/2025)

2025 CDC Youth Football Safety Report

A CDC’s August 2025 report, Comparing Head Impacts in Youth Tackle and Flag Football, reiterates five key recommendations stated in 2021: expand flag football programs, reduce contact practices, enforce helmet-to-head penalties, teach proper tackling techniques, and provide comprehensive safety education. The research shows youth tackle players sustain 15 times more head impacts than flag football athletes.

These findings echo longstanding government concerns about youth football safety, that this website has noted since 2018. While the CDC’s rules remain sound, the persistence of these same conclusions suggests it may be time for more decisive action to accelerate the adoption of safer practices nationwide. (Some have recommended regulatory standards, funding incentives, or policy mandates, but others note concerns about overreach.)

Comparing Head Impacts in Youth Tackle and Flag Football (8/4/25): https://www.cdc.gov/traumatic-brain-injury/data-research/comparing-head-impacts/index.html#cdc_report_pub_study_section_2-more-efforts-needed-to-prevent-head-impacts-during-youth-football-games

Link: AI Shaping the Future of Neurorehabilitation

Just as it assists in other medical issues & care, artificial intelligence is a significant aide in the short & long term outcomes of those with a brain injury.  In March 2025, the NIH released a comprehensive evaluation of such information.  This report links to 134 references that provide more information on said topic.  (I am quite happy that I came across this page.  This weekend, I will be looking through some of the linked studies.)

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11943846/#abstract1

Manhattan Mass Shooting Linked to the Brain

On Monday evening, those is the NYC Tristate area were aghast at the report of a Midtown Manhattan mass shooting that left 5 people dead, including the shooter.  In a 3-page note found at the scene, the 27-year-old male shooter claims to have suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, writing, “Study my brain please… I’m sorry.”  While CTE does not lessen the horror of the shooter’s actions, it could explain why these actions were taken by a man described by a former coach as, “a quiet kid, well-mannered, very coachable.” 

Government-funded studies have shown that high school football can cause neurological trauma.  NYC Mayor Adams confirmed, “We’re looking at his note that talked about CTE… but it is far from conclusive.”  CTE does affect impulse control.  The shooter, though, had the foresight to book and take a trip from Las Vegas to NYC, NFL headquarters, and to purchase a high-powered rifle.  Additionally, his letter reveals that his sense of right and wrong was intact.

NOTE: I choose not to post any statements related to said incident from any of the current candidates for NYC Mayor.  Eric Adams’ statement was specifically related to his mayoral duties.

(The accompanying link is still relevant to the current NYC occurrence.  Of course, new research has been done, and new conclusions have been reached, since it was first posted in 2018.)

Mitigation for Morality and Murder

Political Ideology After Brain Injury

A brain injury is undeniably a significant event in one’s life, but whether it permanently changes a person’s political views and/or affiliation seems an individual matter.  Those across the pond, though, have found that the level to which one holds these ideologies may be altered by this traumatic event, specifically heightened.

Found on the NIH website, an Oxford University study published this spring determined, “political involvement was more intense after lesions connected to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and posterior precuneus… in conservative-leaning participants. Political involvement was less intense after lesions connected to the amygdala and anterior temporal lobe… in liberal-leaning participants.”

NOTE: The UK traditionally leans more socially liberal than America. Would the results of this study have the same conclusion if analyzed with United States participants?

NIH link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40117387/

Brain regions: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_regions_in_the_human_brain

Government Moves Regeneration to the FRONT

The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) has unveiled its transformative Functional Repair of Neocortical Tissue (FRONT) program, a bold five-year initiative aimed at developing curative therapies for millions of Americans suffering from chronic brain damage. This groundbreaking program positions the United States as the global leader in brain repair technology.

Under the current leadership in Washington, FRONT addresses one of America’s most pressing health challenges. HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill emphasized the program’s potential to “deploy regenerative medicine to transform the treatment of neurological diseases and relieve the suffering” of millions affected by strokes and traumatic brain injuries.

The program targets the neocortex, the brain’s largest region responsible for sensory perception, motor control, and higher cognitive functions. Currently, damage from stroke, trauma, or neurodegeneration leaves patients dependent on costly, limited therapies. FRONT aims to revolutionize treatment by using cutting-edge stem cell technology to regenerate brain tissue and restore lost functions.

“This will enable millions of individuals with what is currently considered permanent brain damage to regain lost functions, such as motor control, vision, and speech,” said FRONT Program Manager Jean Hebert, Ph.D.

The economic impact is remarkable. Brain damage costs the U.S. healthcare system over a trillion dollars annually, while FRONT is projected to save approximately $800 billion annually and recover lost taxable income from affected individuals.

The program prioritizes veteran support, targeting traumatic brain injuries—a leading cause of military disability. FRONT will use exclusively adult-derived dedifferentiated stem cells, ensuring ethical development while maintaining scientific rigor.

ARPA-H is soliciting proposals through September 25, 2025, focusing on graft tissue generation and engraftment procedures. With strict performance metrics designed to prepare for human clinical trials, FRONT offers unprecedented hope to over 20 million Americans with chronic neocortical brain damage and their families.

(For more information, visit the FRONT program page: https://arpa-h.gov/explore-funding/programs/front)