Psychiatric News (8/7) reports a study found that in both males and females, both low and high “levels of testosterone may be a risk factor for future posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms,” while individuals in the middle had the lowest risk. For the study, male and female participants were “divided into 10 groups (deciles) based on total testosterone (TT) levels, with group one (lowest levels) serving as the reference.” Researchers observed “that relative to group one, all other groups had lower PTSD symptom scores, after adjusting for other variables. The scores exhibited a U-shaped pattern, with decile seven associated with the fewest PTSD symptoms in both males and females. Among both males and females, stronger associations between testosterone levels and future PTSD symptoms were seen in adults with a BMI of 30 or higher.” The study (8/6) was published in Translational Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Low and High Testosterone Associated With PTSD Symptoms in Males and Females, Psychiatric News , August 7, 2025

Healio (8/7, Byrne) reports a study found that “more than half of adults with inflammatory bowel disease have at least one psychiatric comorbidity.” Study results showed that “more than half (57%) of participants had at least one psychiatric comorbidity, and 27% had more than one. The most common condition was major depressive disorder (41.7%), followed by anxiety disorders (39.6%), substance use disorders (16.2%), PTSD (5.3%), obsessive-compulsive disorder (4.9%) and bipolar disorder (2%).” Researchers also observed that “certain combinations of psychiatric disorders occurred more often. Notably, among those with major depressive disorder and another psychiatric comorbidity, nearly half (49.1%) had a substance abuse disorder. Of those with at least one psychiatric comorbidity, more than 70% had major depressive disorder and an anxiety disorder.” The study was published in Crohn’s & Colitis 360.

Related Links:

— “Psychiatric disorders ‘common’ among patients with inflammatory bowel disease,”Jennifer Byrne , Healio, August 7, 2025

The AP (8/5, Dubow) reports the National Football League “sent a memo to teams on Tuesday explaining the decision to ban smelling salts and any other ammonia inhalant (AI) during pregame activities, games and halftime on the sideline or locker rooms.” The memo states, “The FDA noted potential negative effects from AI use. AIs also have the potential to mask certain neurologic signs and symptoms, including some potential signs of concussion. As a result, the NFL Head, Neck, and Spine Committee recommended prohibiting the use of AIs for any purpose during play in the NFL.”

Related Links:

— “NFL bans smelling salts, saying product can mask concussion symptoms,”Josh Dubow , AP, August 5, 2025

Healio (8/5, Herpen) reports a study presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference links a history of traumatic brain injury to “long-term cognitive decline involving speech functions, specifically where the presence of amyloid-beta was detected as opposed to other biomarkers indicative of preclinical Alzheimer’s.” Researchers observed that “in those positive for amyloid-beta biomarkers, a history of TBI was associated with accelerated longitudinal decline in speech measured by words per minute and letter fluency as well as word finding, while those without TBI had a slight longitudinal increase across all three domains. Further, they reported a decline of broader executive functions such as digital symbol substitution and trails making test were not accelerated by TBI history.” Conversely, they noted “no significant effect of TBI history on similar decline for participants with history of either apolipoprotein or tauopathies.”

Related Links:

— “TBI linked to long-term cognitive decline in preclinical Alzheimer’s disease,”Robert Herpen, MA , Healio, August 5, 2025

CNN (8/5, Holcombe) reports, “People who experienced physical abuse as a child were at a 50% increased risk of reporting low mental health in adulthood compared with those with no abuse, according to” a study, while “those who experienced verbal abuse had a 60% increase in likelihood of low well-being.” Investigators came to this conclusion after analyzing “data from more than 20,000 adults across seven different studies in England and Wales.” The findings were published in BMJ Open.

Related Links:

— “Childhood verbal and physical abuse leave similar impacts, study shows,”Madeline Holcombe, CNN, August 5, 2025