Brain Injury Insider

The holidays (Christmas and New Year) can bring a mix of emotions—joy, reflection, and sometimes real difficulty, especially after a traumatic or serious injury. In this message, brain injury attorney Michael Kaplen shares gratitude for survivors, caregivers, professionals, and colleagues, and offers encouragement, peace, and hope as we look ahead to 2026.

Resources:
Michael Kaplen: https://brainlaw.com/about/michael-kaplen/
Shana De Caro: https://brainlaw.com/about/shana-de-caro/
brain injuries: https://brainlaw.com/brain-injuries/traumatic-brain-injury-guide/
De Caro & Kaplen, LLP: https://brainlaw.com/
contact De Caro & Kaplen, LLP: https://brainlaw.com/contact-us/

If you’re navigating recovery—mobility, memory, cognition, emotions, or daily life—we see your strength and honour your resilience. May you find moments of peace and connection this season, and renewed hope in the year ahead.

Subscribe for more updates from The Brain Injury Insider.

Brain Injury Insider is a weekly podcast by The Brain Injury Law Firm ®, De Caro & Kaplen, LLP.

Host Michael Kaplen is a passionate advocate of the rights of brain injury survivors, and has been fighting on their behalf for over 40 years.

De Caro & Kaplen, LLP
228 E. 45th Street, Suite 1100, New York, NY 10017
Toll Free: (866) 272-4652
e: [email protected]
brainlaw.com

As we gather for the Thanksgiving holiday, I'd like to reflect on what this season means for all of us—gratitude, connection, and the small but powerful ways we show up for one another. 

Thanksgiving reminds us that gratitude is more than just something we feel; it’s something we practice. It’s found in the care we extend, the compassion we show, and the support we offer, especially during times of challenge.

In my work representing individuals and families affected by traumatic brain injury, I am reminded every day of the incredible strength of the human spirit. 

The courage, resilience, and determination of survivors need to be acknowledged during this holiday season. 

It is a privilege to stand beside those navigating life after a brain injury and to advocate for their dignity, rights, and well-being.

But as joyful as the holidays can be, they can also bring mixed emotions, particularly for people living with a disability or the lasting effects of a brain injury.

Watch this episode on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJBV1NjI1B0

Find out more about brain injury at https://brainlaw.com/brain-injuries/help/

Brain Injury Insider is a weekly podcast by The Brain Injury Law Firm ®, De Caro & Kaplen, LLP.

Host Michael Kaplen is a passionate advocate of the rights of brain injury survivors, and has been fighting on their behalf for over 40 years.

De Caro & Kaplen, LLP
228 E. 45th Street, Suite 1100, New York, NY 10017
Toll Free: (866) 272-4652
e: [email protected]
brainlaw.com

Today I want to discuss a recent study with potentially wide implications for anyone who plays soccer — even at the amateur level — and even for those who have never been diagnosed with a concussion. 

Heading a soccer ball repeatedly might damage your brain, even if you never are knocked out, see stars, or diagnosed with a concussion.

In one of the largest studies yet to look at the effects of soccer headers in non-professional players researchers found:

Players who had repeatedly headed a soccer ball showed changes in a part of the brain called the gray-white matter interface, an area located in the orbitofrontal region.  An area just behind the eyes. 

When the skull is struck and then the brain bounces around the interior of the skull, this region of the brain is sensitive to injury.   

The brain changes found on testing were related to memory and learning. 

Importantly, many of these players had no history of diagnosed concussion.

Researchers concluded that the damage to the brain is cumulative and related to the repetitive hits. 

Watch this episode on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClsOESvmUcQ

Find out more about brain injury at https://brainlaw.com/brain-injuries/help/

Brain Injury Insider is a weekly podcast by The Brain Injury Law Firm ®, De Caro & Kaplen, LLP.

Host Michael Kaplen is a passionate advocate of the rights of brain injury survivors, and has been fighting on their behalf for over 40 years.

De Caro & Kaplen, LLP
228 E. 45th Street, Suite 1100, New York, NY 10017
Toll Free: (866) 272-4652
e: [email protected]
brainlaw.com

Today is National Concussion Awareness Day.

A time to remind ourselves that a concussion is not just a bump on the head, it’s a brain injury, a public health crisis, and too often, the beginning of a lifelong struggle.

In this episode we cover:

• Why concussion is a traumatic brain injury (TBI)
• The hidden impact on children, families, and communities
• The consequences of underreporting and insurance denial
• Why federal funding for TBI research and awareness must be protected
• What YOU can do to change the conversation

Watch this episode on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaNpOrImvuY

Brain Injury Insider is a weekly podcast by The Brain Injury Law Firm ®, De Caro & Kaplen, LLP.

Host Michael Kaplen is a passionate advocate of the rights of brain injury survivors, and has been fighting on their behalf for over 40 years.

De Caro & Kaplen, LLP
228 E. 45th Street, Suite 1100, New York, NY 10017
Toll Free: (866) 272-4652
e: [email protected]
brainlaw.com

Did you know that falls are not only the most common cause of traumatic brain injuries—they also carry important legal and safety implications? 

This September is Fall Prevention Awareness Month. 

It’s the perfect time to focus on fall prevention and safety.

Falls can happen to anyone, at any time, and they’re more common than you might think.

Watch this episode on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wf-t6fn_jF4

Find out more at https://brainlaw.com/personal-injury/slip-fall/

Brain Injury Insider is a weekly podcast by The Brain Injury Law Firm ®, De Caro & Kaplen, LLP.

Host Michael Kaplen is a passionate advocate of the rights of brain injury survivors, and has been fighting on their behalf for over 40 years.

De Caro & Kaplen, LLP
228 E. 45th Street, Suite 1100, New York, NY 10017
Toll Free: (866) 272-4652
e: [email protected]
brainlaw.com

Today I want to share some fascinating—and concerning new research. 

The research reports that traumatic brain injuries may speed up the aging process in post-9/11 veterans. 

Researchers looked at blood samples from over a thousand veterans, most in their 30s.

The study published in the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation found that veterans with a history of TBI in all degrees of severity showed signs of aging faster at the biological level. 

In other words, their bodies were acting older than their actual age.

Watch this episode on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tfBsB1mC0o

Visit our brain injury help hub at https://brainlaw.com/brain-injuries/help/

Brain Injury Insider is a weekly podcast by The Brain Injury Law Firm ®, De Caro & Kaplen, LLP.

Host Michael Kaplen is a passionate advocate of the rights of brain injury survivors, and has been fighting on their behalf for over 40 years.

De Caro & Kaplen, LLP
228 E. 45th Street, Suite 1100, New York, NY 10017
Toll Free: (866) 272-4652
e: [email protected]
brainlaw.com

Today, I would like to spotlight an important new legislative proposal being considered by the New York City Council highlighting the link between domestic violence and brain injury and the need for screening of domestic violence survivors for this invisible injury.

The legislation would require mandatory screening for brain injury among survivors of domestic violence whose injuries often go unrecognized and unsupported.

Watch this episode on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0MhOna1c3Q&feature=youtu.be

🧠 Learn more about brain injury and domestic violence:
👉 https://brainlaw.com/brain-injuries/help/types/domestic-violence/

Brain Injury Insider is a weekly podcast by The Brain Injury Law Firm ®, De Caro & Kaplen, LLP.

Host Michael Kaplen is a passionate advocate of the rights of brain injury survivors, and has been fighting on their behalf for over 40 years.

De Caro & Kaplen, LLP
228 E. 45th Street, Suite 1100, New York, NY 10017
Toll Free: (866) 272-4652
e: [email protected]
brainlaw.com

Today, I would like to discuss the tragic midtown Manhattan shooting on July 28, 2025, in which the shooter—Shane Devon Tamura, a 27‑year‑old former high school football player left a suicide note claiming he suffered from CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and blamed the NFL for concealing the dangers of football. He asked for his brain to be studied post‑mortem.

Tamura never played in the NFL—he only played in high school—and there’s conflicting information regarding a history of head trauma or concussions. CTE can only be diagnosed via autopsy.

CTE is a degenerative brain disease marked by abnormal tau protein build‑up.

Symptoms typically appear years after repeated head impacts including memory loss, confusion, mood swings, depression, aggression, and suicidal thoughts.

CTE is not exclusive to football. Repetitive sub concussive hits—or those without obvious symptoms—can be harmful.

It affects not only professional athletes but also high school and college players, as well as athletes in hockey, boxing, soccer, rugby, and even military veterans.

Repetitive head trauma, early exposure to head trauma and concussions, or even repetitive head trauma—especially when not fully recovered from—pose serious risks, even at amateur levels, and can contribute to the development of CTE.

Athletes, coaches, parents, and officials need to be educated to recognize the symptoms of a concussion including headaches, confusion, dizziness, sensitivity to light/sound, and emotional changes.

If there’s any suspicion of a concussion—“when in doubt, keep them out”. No matter the level or sport. Slow, conservative return‑to‑play protocols must be enforced; rest and medical clearance should be required before resuming activity.

My partner Shana De Caro and I opposed the NFL settlement before the Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. We showed the NFL settlement failed to compensate the vast majority of players who suffered the effects of repetitive head trauma.

Discussing CTE we informed the Court, the existing NFL concussion settlement placed an unfair deadline: only players diagnosed with CTE by a certain date could qualify. That excluded many who developed symptoms later in life and were confirmed only after the cut‑off. 

Players who were posthumously diagnosed after the settlement deadline could not take part —and were left without support or compensation 

This tragedy underscores the need to reconsider how eligibility criteria are structured, what support exists for later‑onset cases, and how funding must follow the science—not arbitrary time limits.”

We mourn all the victims of this shooting.

Tamura’s beliefs—and the mental health crisis he endured—highlight that unresolved trauma, isolation, and untreated symptoms can spiral into tragedy.

But whether or not he actually had CTE, this incident shines a harsh light on the broader consequences of repetitive head injuries across sports.

Watch this episode on YouTube at https://youtu.be/y763R4lcU60

Brain Injury Insider is a weekly podcast by The Brain Injury Law Firm ®, De Caro & Kaplen, LLP.

Host Michael Kaplen is a passionate advocate of the rights of brain injury survivors, and has been fighting on their behalf for over 40 years.

De Caro & Kaplen, LLP
228 E. 45th Street, Suite 1100, New York, NY 10017
Toll Free: (866) 272-4652
e: [email protected]
brainlaw.com

It’s summertime and today we’re taking a hard look at a fast-growing threat to public safety—electric scooters and e-bikes.  

They may be convenient, but they’re causing chaos on our streets—and most people aren’t even aware of the risks. 

According to a recent article in USA Today, the statistics are alarming.  

Emergency rooms are reporting a spike in injuries, particularly head trauma and traumatic brain injury.  

As one trauma surgeon told USA Today, 'We're seeing people come in with fractured skulls, concussions, and brain bleeds—just from what looked like a simple fall.' 

And these aren't just riders. Pedestrians—elderly individuals, children, people with disabilities—are being struck or tripping over carelessly discarded scooters. 

Watch this episode on YouTube at https://youtu.be/ojmhToexLhs

Brain Injury Insider is a weekly podcast by The Brain Injury Law Firm ®, De Caro & Kaplen, LLP.

Host Michael Kaplen is a passionate advocate of the rights of brain injury survivors, and has been fighting on their behalf for over 40 years.

De Caro & Kaplen, LLP
228 E. 45th Street, Suite 1100, New York, NY 10017
Toll Free: (866) 272-4652
e: [email protected]
brainlaw.com

In this special episode of The Brain Injury Insider, brain injury attorney Michael Kaplen highlights groundbreaking research from the University of Georgia that could change how we treat traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Researchers have developed an experimental drug—CMX-2043—that may help the brain heal itself after trauma by boosting the brain’s antioxidant defenses. Early findings using a swine model show promise in reducing brain damage post-injury.

This episode explores the importance of this research, the current lack of FDA-approved drugs for TBI treatment, and why continued funding for brain injury research is critical.

Watch this episode on YouTube at https://youtu.be/oJ487AyvOHY

Brain Injury Insider is a weekly podcast by The Brain Injury Law Firm ®, De Caro & Kaplen, LLP.

Host Michael Kaplen is a passionate advocate of the rights of brain injury survivors, and has been fighting on their behalf for over 40 years.

De Caro & Kaplen, LLP
228 E. 45th Street, Suite 1100, New York, NY 10017
Toll Free: (866) 272-4652
e: [email protected]
brainlaw.com