(Press-News.org) EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 4 P.M. ET, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5, 2025
Media Contacts:
Renee Tessman, rtessman@aan.com, (612) 928-6137
Natalie Conrad, nconrad@aan.com, (612) 928-6164
Over-the-counter pain relievers linked to improved recovery from concussion
MINNEAPOLIS – People who take over-the-counter pain relievers after a concussion may recover faster than those who do not take pain relievers, according to a preliminary study released today, March 5, 2025, that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 77th Annual Meeting taking place April 5–9, 2025, in San Diego and online.
The study does not prove that pain relievers improve recovery after concussion; it only shows an association.
“These results are exciting as there are limited treatment options for concussion, and over-the-counter pain relievers are readily available and inexpensive,” said study author Kyle Arnold, MD, of the University of Washington in Seattle and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. “If these results can be confirmed by a controlled study, they could guide us to possible treatment options for people after a concussion.”
The cohort study was conducted by the NCAA and US Department of Defense CARE Consortium and looked at NCAA athletes and military cadets who had concussions. A total of 813 people took over-the-counter pain relievers such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs after their concussion and 848 people did not take any pain relievers.
Researchers looked at the amount of time it took the athletes to be cleared to return to activities with no restrictions at both 50% recovery and 90% recovery, meaning when 50% of the athletes in the study recovered and then later when 90% recovered.
People who took the pain relievers were 20% more likely to have a faster time before they were cleared to return to activities with no restrictions than those who did not take pain relievers. Those who took the medications were cleared at 50% recovery an average of two days faster, and at 90% recovery an average of seven days faster than those who took no medication.
People who took pain relievers were also about 15% more likely to return to having no symptoms more quickly than those who did not take pain relievers. At 50% recovery, those taking the medications had no symptoms one day sooner than those not taking the medications. At 90% recovery, they had no symptoms three days sooner.
Those who took pain relievers also had lower scores on tests of how severe their symptoms were overall and how severe their headaches were.
The researchers also found that the earlier people took the pain relievers after the injury, the faster they recovered. For instance, at 50% recovery, those who started using pain relievers on the first day of their injury returned to play and had resolution of symptoms approximately eight days faster than those who started taking them after five or more days.
There was no difference between the type of pain reliever taken and how quickly people recovered.
“Early medication use appeared to be linked to shorter recovery times, but these findings require further validation through controlled trials,” Arnold said. “In the meantime, these preliminary results may help inform potential treatment options for people recovering from concussions, but additional studies are needed to provide more definitive recommendations.”
The study was funded by the NCAA, the US Department of Defense and University of Washington Institute of Translational Health Sciences.
Discover more about migraine at BrainandLife.org, from the American Academy of Neurology. This resource also offers a magazine, podcast, and books that connect patients, caregivers and anyone interested in brain health with the most trusted information, straight from the world’s leading experts in brain health. Follow Brain & Life® on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
The American Academy of Neurology is the leading voice in brain health. As the world’s largest association of neurologists and neuroscience professionals with more than 40,000 members, the AAN provides access to the latest news, science and research affecting neurology for patients, caregivers, physicians and professionals alike. The AAN’s mission is to enhance member career fulfillment and promote brain health for all. A neurologist is a doctor who specializes in the diagnosis, care and treatment of brain, spinal cord and nervous system diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, stroke, concussion, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, headache and migraine.
Explore the latest in neurological disease and brain health, from the minds at the AAN at AAN.com or find us on Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
When posting to social media channels about this research, we encourage you to use the American Academy of Neurology’s Annual Meeting hashtag #AANAM.
END
Over-the-counter pain relievers linked to improved recovery from concussion
2025-03-05
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Stressed out? It may increase the risk of stroke
2025-03-05
MINNEAPOLIS — Some people living with chronic stress have a higher risk of stroke, according to a study published on March 5, 2025, online in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study looked at younger adults and found an association between stress and stroke, with no known cause, in female participants, but not male participants. This study does not prove that stress causes stroke; it only shows an association.
“Younger people often experience stress due to the demands and pressures associated with work, including long hours and job insecurity, as well as financial burdens,” ...
Nanoscale tweaks help alloy withstand high-speed impacts
2025-03-05
ITHACA, N.Y. – A Cornell University-led collaboration devised a new method for designing metals and alloys that can withstand extreme impacts, which could lead to the development of automobiles, aircraft and armor that can better endure high-speed impacts, extreme heat and stress.
The research, published in Communications Materials, introduces nanometer-scale speed bumps that suppress a fundamental transition that controls how metallic materials deform.
The project was led by Mostafa Hassani, assistant professor of mechanical ...
AI-generated voices which sound like you are perceived as more trustworthy and likeable, with implications for deep-fakes and manipulation
2025-03-05
AI-generated voices which sound like you are perceived as more trustworthy and likeable, with implications for deep-fakes and manipulation
Article URL: https://plos.io/4baFCW5
Article title: AI-determined similarity increases likability and trustworthiness of human voices
Author countries: Germany
Funding: The author(s) received no specific funding for this work. END ...
The cacao tree species (Theobroma cacao L.), from which we get chocolate, is likely about 7.5 million years old, with chloroplast genomes indicating that the current known diversity diversified during
2025-03-05
The cacao tree species (Theobroma cacao L.), from which we get chocolate, is likely about 7.5 million years old, with chloroplast genomes indicating that the current known diversity diversified during the Pliocene or Miocene epochs
Article URL: https://plos.io/4gQHlB2
Article title: Comparative analyses of chloroplast genomes of Theobroma cacao from northern Peru
Author countries: Perú
Funding: This study was supported by the Programa Nacional de Investigación Científica y Estudios Avanzados (PROCIENCIA) funded by the Project through the Contract N° 026-2016-FONDECYT “Círculo de Investigación ...
After sexual misconduct accusations, scholars’ work is cited less
2025-03-05
In a new analysis, scholars publicly accused of sexual misconduct experienced a significant decrease in the rate at which other scholars cited their published research. Giulia Maimone of the University of California, Los Angeles, U.S., and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS One on March 5, 2025.
In academia, scholars cite other scholars’ publications as a widely agreed-upon way to reference existing research and promote scientific advancement. A scholar with a high number of citations may be considered particularly impactful in their field. Prior research ...
Menopause symptoms associated with future memory and neuropsychiatric problems
2025-03-05
Women who exhibit more menopausal symptoms are more likely to later have poorer cognitive function and mild behavioral impairments – both markers of dementia. That is the conclusion of a study of 896 postmenopausal females published March 5, 2025, in the open-access journal PLOS One by Zahinoor Ismail of University of Calgary, Canada, and colleagues.
Females are known to have a three-fold greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, and will be disproportionately ...
Findings may advance understanding of infertility in mothers
2025-03-05
Oxytocin, a hormone already known for its role in childbirth, milk release, and mother-infant bonding, may have a newfound purpose in mammalian reproduction. In times of maternal stress, the hormone can delay an embryo’s development for days to weeks after conception, a new study in rodents shows. According to the authors, the findings about so-called “diapause” may offer new insights into pregnancy and fertility issues faced by humans.
Led by researchers at NYU Langone Health, the study explored diapause, in which an embryo temporarily stops growing early in ...
Engineered cartilage from nasal septum cells helps treat complex knee injuries
2025-03-05
Injuries to the articular cartilage in different joints, including the knee, are painful and limit mobility. Therefore, researchers at the University of Basel and University Hospital Basel are developing cartilage implants using cells from the patient’s nasal septum. A recent study shows that giving these cartilage implants more time to mature significantly improved clinical efficacy, even in patients with complex cartilage injuries. This suggests that the method could also be suitable for the treatment of degenerated cartilage in osteoarthritis.
An unlucky fall while skiing or playing ...
Damaged but not defeated: Bacteria use nano-spearguns to retaliate against attacks
2025-03-05
Some bacteria deploy tiny spearguns to retaliate against rival attacks. Researchers at the University of Basel mimicked attacks by poking bacteria with an ultra-sharp tip. Using this approach, they have uncovered that bacteria assemble their nanoweapons in response to cell envelope damage and rapidly strike back with high precision.
In the world of microbes, peaceful coexistence goes hand in hand with fierce competition for nutrients and space. Certain bacteria outcompete rivals and fend off attackers by injecting them with a lethal cocktail using tiny, ...
Among older women, hormone therapy linked to tau accumulation, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease
2025-03-05
A new study from Mass General Brigham researchers has found faster accumulation of tau—a key indicator of Alzheimer’s disease—in the brains of women over the age of 70 who took menopausal hormone therapy (HT) more than a decade before. Results, which are published in Science Advances, could help inform discussions between patients and clinicians about Alzheimer’s disease risk and HT treatment.
While the researchers did not see a significant difference in amyloid beta accumulation, they did find a significant difference in how fast regional tau accumulated in the brains of women over the age of 70, with women who had taken HT showing faster tau accumulation ...