According to the New York Times (11/26, Clemmons), over two years ago, “the N.F.L. Players Association and the N.F.L. agreed to form the Comprehensive Mental Health and Wellness Committee, a panel of” physicians “appointed by both groups, which mandated that each team employ a behavioral health team clinician.” Currently, seven teams “have a full-time clinician, and the rest of the clubs employ someone in the role for at least eight hours each week.” Consequently, a growing number of players “have taken advantage” of such services, “and have been more open about doing so.” Nevertheless, some stigma still remains that seeking mental healthcare is a sign of weakness, particularly among Black players who comprise “roughly 70 percent” of those playing in the NFL. The Times added that earlier this year, “the American Psychiatric Association… apologized for racial inequities in care and research.”

Related Links:

— “Pushed by Players, the N.F.L. Works to Embrace Mental Health “Anna Katherine Clemmons, The New York Times, November 26, 2021

Healio (11/23, Herpen) reports, “Researchers have created a wearable device” placed on the stomach “that can detect and reverse opioid overdoses.” When the device is activated, “it behaves like an insulin pump, able to sense when a person stops breathing and moving,” and “when indicated, naloxone is released.” Investigators tested the closed-loop wearable naloxone injector system in two small cohorts. The findingswere published online Nov. 22 in Scientific Reports.

Related Links:

— “Study examines wearable device that reduces opioid overdose risk “Robert Herpen, Healio, November 23, 2021

HealthDay (11/23, Preidt) reports, “Teens and young adults with autism show marked differences in their brains’ white matter compared to those without the disorder,” investigators concluded after analyzing “the results of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) brain scans of 264 people with autism, ranging in age from six months to 50 years, and a control group of 319 age-matched people without autism.” The findings are set for presentation at the Radiological Society of North America’s annual meeting.

Related Links:

— “Brain’s ‘White Matter’ Changes in People With Autism “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, November 23, 2021

HealthDay (11/23) reports, “The latest in a spate of studies investigating links between use of social media and depression suggests the two go hand in hand,” investigators concluded in a study that followed “a yearlong look at social media use and onset of depression among nearly 5,400 adults,” none of whom “reported even mild depression at the start.” The findings were published online Nov. 23 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Social Media Tied to Higher Risk of Depression ” Alan Mozes, HealthDay, November 23, 2021

The New York Times (11/22, Belluck) reports, “Concerns about safety risks of the controversial new Alzheimer’s drug [aducanumab] Aduhelm have intensified in the wake of the death of a 75-year-old woman who experienced brain swelling after receiving infusions of the drug as a participant in a clinical trial.” The incident “occurred in late September,” and “between July and September, three other cases of [amyloid-related imaging abnormalities] ARIA were reported to the FDA’s adverse event database, all requiring hospitalization.”

Bloomberg (11/22, Langreth) reports Biogen’s drug “produced brain swelling in 35% of patients who took the approved dose, although most didn’t experience symptoms, company researchers said in a study” published in JAMA Neurology. The study “found that 362 of 1,029 patients who received the approved dose of the drug experienced the side effect, which showed up in brain imaging of people in two big clinical trials of the drug.”

Related Links:

— “Concerns Grow Over Safety of Aduhelm After Death of Patient Who Got the Drug “Pam Belluck, The New York Times, November 22, 2021