August 2026 Newsletter Highlights
Updated: 5 days ago
Research Update in Concussion
A new evidence review in Clinical and Translational Neuroscience finds that athletes with ADHD may face substantially elevated concussion risk, more than twice the likelihood of sustaining a concussion, with more severe and longer-lasting symptoms afterward compared to athletes without ADHD. Lead researcher Jeffrey Parr (University of Southern Mississippi) argues ADHD should be treated as a clinical modifier: accounting for it can sharpen diagnosis, improve symptom interpretation, and support safer return-to-play decisions
Parr JJ, King MR, Franks C. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Sport-
Related Concussion in Athletes: Implications for Risk, Assessment, and Recovery.
Clinical and Translational Neuroscience. 2026; 10(2):12.
Research Update in Dysautonomia
A recent hypothesis-driven review in Frontiers in Neurology pushes back on how loosely the term "dysautonomia" gets applied to POTS. The authors argue that the classic bedside picture, marked tachycardia with preserved blood pressure upon standing, is often better explained as an intact baroreflex compensating for reduced effective stroke volume or venous return, rather than true autonomic failure. Their key point: preserved blood pressure doesn't rule out autonomic dysfunction, but it does argue against equating POTS with autonomic failure outright. Mechanistic categories overlap, and many patients likely have mixed physiology, so leaning on "dysautonomia" as a catch-all explanation risks steering clinicians toward the wrong diagnostic or treatment path. The authors stress they're not rejecting the term entirely, just its frequent over-interpretation. Bottom line for readers: POTS is a heterogeneous syndrome with a shared clinical definition but multiple possible drivers and language matters for how it gets worked up and treated.
Chopra P (2026) Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome: when dysautonomia
misleads: a mechanistic argument for compensatory orthostatic tachycardia.
Front. Neurol. 17:1806502. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2026.1806502
Psychiatry Spotlight
Why Psychiatry Belongs on the Care Team: Patients with concussion, migraine, dizziness, or dysautonomia often carry more than their primary diagnosis; anxiety, low mood, and brain fog are common companions rooted in shared neurobiology. Psychiatry adds value by clarifying what's driving cognitive/emotional symptoms, offering medications that do double duty (mood plus symptom prevention), and keeping patients engaged in rehab. A referral isn't saying "it's all in their head, " it's recognizing the head and nervous system are connected.
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