brains

A study on brains and a statement on driving

I want to highlight two interesting papers that published yesterday in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology:

• Brains (concussed): In a study of 187 college athletes, researchers found that those who got a concussion while playing (25 of them) still showed signs of brain injury on MRI scans when they were cleared to play their sport again, a couple of months later, and even a year after being cleared. Persistent changes from pre-concussion scans were seen in the athletes’ cerebral blood flow and in white matter microstructure. But these effects were only in the brain — the athletes did not see clinical symptoms persist that long, the authors noted. More long-term research is needed to understand if and how the brain re-normalizes. The study also reinforces existing concerns about the damage that repeated concussions could cause, the authors add.
• Driving (post-seizures): The American Academy of Neurology, American Epilepsy Society, and Epilepsy Foundation of America updated their joint position statement (from 1994!) on models for drivers’ licences for people with epilepsy. The update incorporates some of AAN’s newer positions from 2007, perhaps most notably calling for doctors to be able — but not required — to report drivers who pose an elevated risk, without legal liability for deciding either way. See the statement for more specifics, but the most basic position remains unchanged from the previous statement: People with epilepsy should experience a minimum of 3 months without seizures before getting behind the wheel again. 

first opinion

Are we entering a postdoc crisis?

Successful science and research efforts require a certain level of stability and predictability. But recently, a dizzying number of policy moves by the Trump administration have hit scientific and research communities, including funding freezes, peer review disruptions, language bans, and more. (ICYMI — read Jason Mast’s story from late Tuesday night about how despair, confusion, and panic swept through the Columbia University campus as the Trump administration enacted its promise to cancel hundreds of millions of dollars in the institution’s grants.)

In a new First Opinion essay, National Postdoctoral Association executive director and CEO Thomas P. Kimbis writes that the administration’s actions have had an “astounding” impact on postdocs. These people — who have graduated, but temporarily continue to do mentored research  — do essential work within American academia. NPA recently published the results of a survey that went out to nearly 300 postdocs. Among respondents, 43% reported that their jobs or positions were under threat, while more than a third said their research is delayed or in jeopardy. Read more from Kimbis on how these early-career academics have fared.