Category Archives: Links

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)

Riots, Reasons & Repercussions: Ongoing Trauma Related to the Floyd Case

You cannot turn on the television now without hearing about the death of George Floyd and the riots and protests that have followed it.  Legally, it seems that it was acceptable for Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer who was in the process of apprehending Floyd, to use a chokehold.  Ethically, it was not, particularly after Floyd began saying that he could not breathe.  (Lack of oxygen is known as hypoxia and is accompanied with an inability to cough or talk.) Now, it is for a jury to decide if Officer Chauvin acted inappropriately, as he has been charged with second-degree murder.

Whatever comes of this case is irrelevant to this article, as this website focuses on brain injury.  Though a well-known enforcement tactic, the chokehold is not often used in the field and is banned in many cities.  The result of such an police enforcement action is the oxygen in cut off from the body.  A lack of oxygen kills brain cells causing a brain injury.  On Friday, June 5, Minneapolis joined the majority of large cities to put a ban on chokeholds.  (Unfortunately, it cannot be fully known how this ban has affected the crime rate thus far.)

Following the Floyd incident, though, public outrage has resulted in new traumas.  Hatred of the police continues to escalate, resulting in protests, most of which have been peaceful, but also riots, looting and even assaults.  These actions have resulted in exactly what the protesters’ aim to eliminate – violence, as there have been assaults on the protesters, police and even bystanders – and has resulted in terrible injury, to the body and brain.  For example, it was reported on Tuesday, that a member of the NYPD was charged with 3rd-degree assault and other crimes for pushing a protester to the curb.  According to a headline on the WHSV site, “Richmond police won’t say how many officers face discipline for attacking protesters.”

Most of the news appears to be about police officers attacking protesters.  Lest it is thought that it is only civilian protesters who face harm, WMAC in Baltimore reported, “Protesters attack police captain marching with them.”  In Boston, ABC News noted that the FBI field office, “received credible intelligence that rioters are looking for officers’ home addresses.” In Portland, two teen protesters punched a bystander in the head while he was straightening an American flag.

Those are just a few of the attacks that have occurred in the past few weeks.  It the following weeks, it seems that many other anti-police attacks will occur, resulting in harm on all sides.  It just should be remembered by everyone that police hatred does not need to mean harm.

For more information:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattperez/2020/06/05/minneapolis-city-council-agrees-to-ban-use-of-chokeholds-by-police/#752d315e37a2

Link: Promoting better understanding, treatment of traumatic brain injury

Throughout the year, the armed forces have either started or continued to care for the thousands of injured soldiers who suffer from brain injury.  In addition, they have persevered in their research into various neurological issues related to TBI and new methods of treatment for TBI recovery.  Yesterday, the Military Health System Communications Office posted on their website a press release that serves as a synopsis of their activities throughout the year.  Beyond highlighting achievements, the release, titled Promoting better understanding, treatment of traumatic brain injury, also notes the need for further research and care.  On the webpage, below the press release, are links to articles that further explain the accomplishments mentioned.  (They particularly note the discovery of a blood test to detect brain injury, an accomplishment that was first reported on this website in March 2018.)

U.S. Diplomats Ailments Possibly Explained

Almost a year ago, I reported on the search for the culprit of mysterious ailments on American diplomats in Cuba; this year, I reported that diplomats in China were experiencing the same symptoms and that a cause had not yet been determined.  Last Saturday, September 1, the New York Times published the results of various studies that searched for the cause of brain damage in so many diplomats and their families: Microwave Weapons Are Prime Suspect in Ills of U.S. Embassy Workers.  Of course, microwave weapons do not refer to the most common “microwave”, the microwave oven, but “[any] electromagnetic wave with wavelength between that of  infrared light and radio waves.”  (Microwave weapons are not a new phenomenon.  As these ailments show, other countries use this method of attack and, for over a decade, the American military has been searching for ways to use it in battle.)  However, even after a year of study, as to what caused so many to experience the so-called Frey Effect, nothing is conclusive.

McCain’s Posthumous Charitable Hopes

In 2002, Senator John McCain was instrumental in establishing the Arizona-based nonprofit Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen),  “a one-of-a-kind genomics research institute.” Unfortunately, the research focus of this institute later became all too important for McCain, as his diagnosis of brain cancer was announced last year.  After losing this year-long battle with glioblastoma*, Senator McCain was laid to rest near the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland on Sunday, September 2, 2018.  However, his service to America has not ended.

A visit to the memorial webpage of the late Senator provides not only a history of the man and synopses of the moments of honor that have occurred since his death on August 25, 2018, but also gives the visitor an opportunity to donate to two nonprofits specifically selected by McCain: The McCain Institute Foundation and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen).

*According to the NIH, glioblastoma is, “the most common and aggressive malignant brain tumor in adults.”  As previously reported on this site, symptoms of brain malignancy, a.k.a. brain cancer, include headaches, seizures, speech difficulty, weakness and double vision – symptoms that can also be found following a traumatic brain injury.  The question as to whether there is a link between brain injury and brain cancer has been “long-debated”, as was remarked on in a 1979 NIH report.  Today the NIH continues this investigation.  Two years ago, they reported, “Epidemiological studies are equivocal on the possible link between trauma and increased risk of malignant glioblastoma… We propose a putative pathogenesis model that connects post-traumatic inflammation, stem and progenitor cell transformation, and glioblastoma.”

Link: Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center

In the early 1990s, during the Gulf War, advances in weaponry and medical knowledge meant that injury, not death, was of foremost concern – included in this was brain injury, caused by both physical or chemical injury.  In response, in 1992, Congress created the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC) – an organization headquartered in Silver Springs, Maryland with 22 other locations around the continental United States of America.  According to their mission, “the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center promotes state-of-the-science care from point-of-injury to reintegration for service members, veterans, and their families to prevent and mitigate consequences of mild to severe TBI.”  Throughout its 26 years, their “science care” has extensively investigated, through research and sponsorship, what has been termed the signature wound of modern war.  In response to this, in 2007, “DVBIC [was] designated the primary operational TBI component of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE).”

(As of today, there will be a link to the DVBIC in the ADDITIONAL RESOURCES bar on the Home Page of this site.)

Brain Injury Awareness Month Across the Country: State Recognition

Brain injury has been an ongoing issue in America since its founding.  Though federally honored, BIAM is still finding legislative recognition on the state level.  For example, House Resolution 741 (HR 741), introduced by Pennsylvania’s Tina Pickett, was only introduced earlier this month and adopted (188-0) on March 14.  A similar bill will soon be voted on in the PA Senate.  (Though this marks the official recognition of the Month, the State has honored and provided education on brain injury at least since 2011.)  In 2013, New Jersey officially recognized it as a month-long state observance, whereas legislators in Alaska were relatively early adopters, passing a law to recognize the Month back in the 2007 – 2008 Congressional year.  (Some states still do not officially note Brain Injury Awareness Month.  However, groups in these states, such as the BIAA, do provide events specifically designed for the Month.)

As for events, New York State, in Tonawanda, located near Niagara Falls, lights the City Hall blue for the entire month to show solidarity and the need for public education on brain injury.  (Blue is the official color of Brain Injury Awareness Month, as designated by the Brain Injury Association of America.) On Brian Injury Advocacy Day, March 20, survivors/advocates met with members of the New York State Legislature to thank legislators for what they have done thus far and to teach them about the impact of brain injury, including how they can further help prevent it, as well as support those with brain injury.  While some legislators may have been tempted by the promise of pie, Kansas legislators and lawmakers met at the Topeka State House on March 21 to learn more about brain injury.  The Nebraska Brain Injury Advisory Council, which is sponsored by the Nebraska Department of Education, launched a mobile-responsive website that, “presents resources and reference information for anyone affected to assist in navigating for the best possible outcome.”

The above is just a short representation of activities throughout the country related to Brain Injury Awareness Month.  Please search online to find more past and upcoming local events.

Brain Injury Awareness Month Across the Country: Capitol Hill

Brain injury affects America as a whole, and its importance should be recognized on Capitol Hill.  As part of this national recognition, on March 5, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders introduced Retired Marine Corps Sergeant John Peck to the press.   Peck’s story is remarkable and therefore must be noted in its entirety: “Sergeant Peck suffered a traumatic brain injury in Iraq during his first tour of duty.  Then, after two years of therapy, he re-enlisted and deployed to Afghanistan.  While there, he stepped on an IED and lost both arms and legs.  He spent two years at Walter Reed, and in 2016 received a double arm transplant.  He is now doing physical and occupational therapy at Walter Reed, and doing incredibly well.”

Earlier this week, our legislators further honored brain injured Americans at Brain Injury Awareness Day, which is always honored on Capitol Hill during Brain Injury Awareness Month.  Generally, from what I can determine, the day is simply associated with Brain Injury Awareness Month and, therefore, in March.  However, Brain Injury Awareness Day is not honored on a specific calendar day.  (For example, in 2017 it was on Wednesday, March 22.  This year it was on March 20.)  The point of the day, though, is unchanging: to increase knowledge and awareness of brain injury with our elected officials.

As noted in an earlier article, the theme of 2018 Brain Injury Awareness Month is Change Your Mind.  Scheduled by the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force, co-chaired by Reps. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (NJ) and Thomas J. Rooney (FL), the events this past Tuesday were a Brain Injury Awareness fair, a Congressional briefing and a reception celebrating Brain Injury Awareness Month.

When I can find the audio of the Capitol Hill Congressional briefing, I will post it on this site.  Additionally, as I find state events honoring the month, I will post them.