HealthDay (3/13, Thompson ) reports a new study suggests that “concussed college athletes had brain changes that remained visible in brain scans up to a year after they’d been cleared to return to play.” Athletes participating in the study “had MRI scans taken before their seasons began, as well as five days, one to three months, and a year after returning to play following a concussion. Concussed players still showed signs of brain injury in MRI scans taken an average five days after concussion, when they’d been cleared to resume play, results show.” Researchers noted “those signs of brain injury lasted for up to one year later.” In addition, “players with concussion had significantly reduced blood flow in their brain’s fronto-insular cortex, a region that helps control thinking, memory, emotion and social behavior.” While researchers said “this lower blood flow diminished over time,” it was “still detectable a year after their concussion.” The study was published in Neurology.

Related Links:

— “Concussion Damage Lingers In Athletes’ Brains Up To A Year,” Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, March 13, 2025

The Hill (3/13, Timotija ) reports a Gallup survey publishedThursday suggests that “Americans’ views of their mental and physical health are at the lowest point in nearly 25 years, a downturn that accelerated at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and has continued since.” According to the poll, about three-quarters of Americans rated their mental health (at 75 percent) and physical health (at 76 percent) as “excellent” or “good.” But the number of respondents “who described their mental health as ‘excellent’ shrunk to 31 percent. Regarding physical health, those characterizing it as ‘excellent’ went down to 24 percent, Gallup found.” The survey reached a low in 2022, “when the number of Americans who said their mental health rating was ‘excellent’ dropped to 31 percent. The lowest figure for physical health was in 2023 at 24 percent.”

Related Links:

— “Views of mental, physical health lowest in almost 25 years: Gallup,” Filip Timotija, The Hill, March 13, 2025

Healio (3/13, Shinkle) reports an analysis found that “childhood cancer survivors in Europe exhibited higher risk for suicidal ideation than the general population.” Researchers analyzed “16 studies that examined suicide…or suicidal ideation.” Results showed “childhood cancer survivors exhibited significantly increased risk for suicidal ideation…but not for suicide…compared with the general European population.” A subgroup analysis “revealed a higher prevalence of suicidal ideation among childhood cancer survivors during active cancer treatment than during the rest of the follow-up period.” Investigators concluded, “Future research could further stratify childhood cancer survivors based on factors such as cancer type, treatment modality and socioeconomic background to provide a more nuanced understanding of suicidality risk.” The analysis was published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Suicidal ideation significantly higher among childhood cancer survivors,” Matthew Shinkle, Healio, March 13, 2025

Healio (3/12, Kellner ) reports a meta-analysis found that “greater e-cigarette accessibility and use appeared to be associated with lower rates of smoking among young people.” A systematic review “of 126 studies evaluating the relationship between e-cigarette use and smoking among people aged 29 years or younger” concluded that “most population-level studies demonstrated that e-cigarette availability led to lower rates of smoking.” In contrast, nearly “all individual-level studies revealed a link between current vaping and future smoking among young people, but the researchers noted it was unclear whether there was a causal relationship.” Overall, the researchers “noted that their conclusions were based on very low certainty evidence and future research could yield different results,” but said the “study findings suggest that vaping may not increase smoking across populations of young people.” Findings from the analysis were published in Addiction.

Related Links:

— “Analysis suggests e-cigarette use may be linked to lower rates of smoking,” Sara Kellner, Healio, March 12, 2025

The New York Times (3/12, Hoffman ) reports Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration staff “could be cut by 50 percent” by the end of the week, according to senior staff officials. The federal agency’s “broad mandate includes overseeing 988, the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline,” as well as “regulating outpatient clinics that dispense opioid treatment drugs such as methadone” and “directing funds to drug courts.” It also “provides best-practice training and resources for hundreds of nonprofits and state agencies” and acts as a “federal watchdog that closely monitors the spending of taxpayer-funded grants for mental health and addiction.” Rates of US overdose fatalities remain high, but they “have been declining consistently since 2023. Many drug policy experts say SAMHSA is the federal agency most directly responsible.” In interviews, current and former SAMHSA staff warn “the threat posed by layoffs and policy shifts is beginning to be felt at sites everywhere, from the heart of troubled city neighborhoods to rural outposts.”

Related Links:

— “The New York Times (requires login and subscription)