Category Archives: Miscellaneous

Texas Governor Declares Disaster to Combat Screwworm Threat

Governor Greg Abbott issued a statewide disaster declaration Thursday, January 29th to prevent a certain species of screwworm fly from entering Texas, mobilizing state resources against a parasite. “Although… not yet present in Texas or the U.S., its northward spread from Mexico toward the U.S. southern border poses a serious threat,” Abbott stated.

Cochliomyia hominivorax, also called Coquerel or New World screwworms, are parasites endemic in South America and the Caribbean. Not new to America, the U.S. was declared free of the parasite in 1966 by the US Department of Agriculture, after successful eradication efforts. A small outbreak occurred in the Florida Keys in 2017.

According to the US Embassy in Costa Rica, “screwworm flies predominantly affect cattle, but frequently affect dogs… and occasionally affect humans.” Experts warn that maggots can burrow into vulnerable tissue like the brain, causing sepsis. Sepsis can cause severe brain damage through systemic inflammation, disrupting the blood-brain barrier (BBB), oxygen deprivation, and neuroinflammation, leading to acute issues like delirium and coma, and long-term cognitive deficits. The Embassy further discusses the story of a 15-year-old girl developed intense headaches after 45 larvae infested a scalp wound, demonstrating risks to children and representing the first human death since the 1990s.

Protection requires cleaning and covering all wounds, wearing long-sleeved clothing, and using EPA-registered insect repellents.

Brain Injury Detection Goes Low-Tech

A simple spit test may soon revolutionize how doctors diagnose brain injuries. Researchers have known for years that saliva contains biomarkers indicating brain injury. In January 2026, University of Waterloo in Canada unveiled HeadFirst, a portable saliva-based device that works much like a COVID test – two lines indicate a concussion, one line means negative. According to the report, this new low-tech innovation is currently at the pre-clinical trial.

The mission is clear: “Leave no concussion undetected.” “What we’re doing is adding the first objective test into the toolkit of athletic and health care professionals,” said Andrew Cordssen-David, HeadFirst CEO. The new technology detects biomarkers that cross the blood-brain barrier into saliva within minutes of injury.

Currently, no saliva concussion test has FDA approval, though several companies are preparing submissions. With studies showing 92-94% accuracy, these non-invasive diagnostics could transform sideline assessments in sports and combat zones alike. 

* TBIontheHill first reported on the government’s investment in brain injury detection devices in 2017. At that time, Abbott Laboratories was developing of i-STAT, a mobile device that could detect brain injury. Since that time, U.S. government agencies have remained heavily invested in concussion detection. The National Institutes of Health awarded $2.3 million to Quadrant Biosciences for developing saliva-based microRNA tests, while the Department of Defense mandated baseline cognitive assessments for all military recruits starting January 2025. 

Chewing Gum’s Surprising Brain Benefits Come with Caution

In 2026, publications from The Economics Times to National Geographic, have reported on the unexpected benefits of chewing gum. The U.S. government has a long-released study that confirms this.  Nearly 30 years ago, the NIH published a study that found, “[Chewing] increased regional cerebral blood flow in the primary sensorimotor areas by 25-28%, in the supplementary motor areas and insulae by 9-17%, and in the cerebellum and striatum by 8-11%.” (Cerebral blood flow activates the hippocampus, critical for memory, and reduces stress hormones by 16%.) Multiple trials confirm improvements in alertness, sustained attention, and reaction times from chewing gum.

These benefits seem to have been almost forgotten though, as what has been more widely reported in the past decade is the harm that chewing gum causes the body. A study indexed in the NIH database found that chewing commercially available gum can release over 250,000 microplastic particles per hour. Research shows microplastics cross the blood-brain barrier, potentially contributing to oxidative stress and neuroinflammation linked to cognitive decline.

Pertaining to brain injury patients, medical professionals have long known chewing gum may be a boon. The aforementioned statistics note gum’s ability to enhance blood flow and hippocampal stimulation support neural recovery, while stress reduction aids in healing. Gum chewing is used in speech and oral motor rehabilitation therapy, strengthening muscles while stimulating neural pathways, and improving reaction times. Additionally, during these cognitive rehabilitation exercises, gum still retains its ability to reduce stress levels.

To capture benefits while avoiding microplastics and without artificial sweeteners, consider homemade alternatives using natural chicle or beeswax. Many websites offer such recipes, including: Instructables Utopia CookTilYummy. (I do not known the quality or tastiness of these recipes. If you choose to make chewing gum for its cognitive benefits, I recommend using fresh mint as an ingredient because of its own proven cognitive benefits)

“Marty Supreme” Brings Attention to Ping Pong’s Dual Role in Brain Health

As many anticipate 2026 Academy Award nominations to be announced tomorrow, one film, in particular, has gained Oscar buzz for cinematic acumen and, from me, its focus on an often overlooked sport. An A24 Films production Marty Supreme follows a 1950s ping pong hustler through his rise to glory. (Timothée Chalamet, who portrays the star table tennis player, has already won a Golden Globe for the role.) But beyond Hollywood, the sport at the heart of the film has proven transformative for brain injury patients.

Recent NIH research reveals that ping pong has remarkable therapeutic potential for traumatic brain injury recovery. A 2024 study published in Brain Research and indexed in NIH PubMed demonstrated that long-term table tennis training significantly alters dynamic functional connectivity and white matter microstructure in large-scale brain regions – enhancing cognitive function and attention in patients recovering from neurological injuries. This is due to the sport’s simultaneous engagement of visual tracking, motor coordination, and rapid decision-making, which triggers neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to rewire itself. A 2024 stroke rehabilitation study in the database showed significant brainwave changes in patients practicing seated table tennis, with enhanced activity in frontal and temporal regions associated with sensorimotor integration. This additionally supports broader applications of the sport for traumatic brain injury rehabilitation.

However, the term “ping pong” isn’t singly used to define the sport of table tennis. Ironically, “ping pong fracture” is the term used to describe a very serious infant condition: a depressed skull fracture that resembles a dented ball. These fractures occur in approximately 3 per 10,000 live births, often as the result of difficult deliveries. Fortunately, a 2022 World Neurosurgery systematic review of 228 cases found 96.4% achieve favorable outcomes without lasting neurological damage. Most resolve spontaneously within six months.

As is apparent, science continues to prove that ping pong’s medical connections, whether through the healing effects to the injured brain of gameplay or used to describe neonatal trauma, run deeper than any championship rally.

Trump Wants Greenland; Greenland Wants Neurosurgeons

Currently, President Trump’s renewed push to acquire Greenland dominates the headlines. Though many dismiss the President’s statements as mere diplomatic trolling, it brings new attention to the challenges faced by this Arctic territory. Specific to this website, those in Greenland face real medical challenges related to brain injury that deserve attention.

Of Greenland’s 56,500 residents, it is reported that 10-20 suffer severe traumatic brain injuries annually, with falls and snowmobile accidents being primary causes. (The territory also holds the world’s highest rate of fall-related spinal cord injuries.) Although this is a statistically small number, the healthcare reality is stark. Queen Ingrid’s Hospital in Nuuk, the country’s capital and largest city, remains the only facility with CT and MRI scanners, and no neurosurgeons practice in Greenland. Patients requiring brain surgery generally face evacuation to Copenhagen, Denmark, for which minimum transport time exceeds seven hours.

A 2025 study available to view on the NIH database offers hope with the introduction of teleneurosurgery. As of recently, the Department of Neurosurgery at the University Hospital of Copenhagen, Rigshospitalet has the ability to provide, “training [to] local [Greenland] surgeons to perform cranial neurosurgical procedures using smart glasses, enabling real-time supervision from neurosurgeons in Copenhagen.” Since May 2024, it is reported that multiple successful operations have been performed. Unfortunately, while the Danish publicly funded healthcare system may cover all residents, geographic isolation has created life-threatening delays.

NIH Hypoglycemia-Fall Studies Explain “Marvel” Actor’s Trauma

When Marvel actress Evangeline Lilly fainted and fell face-first onto a Hawaiian boulder in May 2025, she sustained a brain injury. During her beach outing, the actress fainted and fell face-first onto a boulder, resulting in brain damage affecting “almost every area” of cognitive function. Last week, as has been widely reported, the actress revealed on Instagram that recent brain scans confirm lasting damage from this fall.

As to her prior medical history, Lilly has revealed that she suffers from hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar. Since she was a child, she has explained that she would have fainting spells due to this condition. Hypoglycemia-induced falls can lead to traumatic brain injury. (While such falls can happen at any age, older adults with diabetes are particularly at risk.) NIH-published studies have documented this dangerous cascade. Research found in the NIH PubMed database confirms that hypoglycemia can trigger loss of consciousness and substantially increase fall risk. A 2025 study examined how hypoglycemia-induced falls cause distinctive brain damage patterns affecting the hippocampus, cerebral cortex, and basal ganglia. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine, funded by NIH grants, found that hypoglycemic brain injuries differ from other trauma types, causing widespread neuronal death when glucose levels drop critically low.

The “Lost” star now faces what she calls an “uphill battle” for recovery that is an all too familiar journey experienced by many from this medically recognized connection.

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.

Enjoy a Choline-Rich Thanksgiving!

On Thursday, Thanksgiving dinner allows us to incorporate many choline-rich foods into our meal. Beyond simply turkey, many sources, including the NIH, have found that traditional Thanksgiving vegetables, such as broccoli and brussel sprouts, and starches, such as russet and red potatoes, provide health benefits.

While pumpkin pie may only have a moderate amount of the nutrient, recipes that contain higher levels exist, and various puddings have significantly more.

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Choline-HealthProfessional/

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.