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Heavy drinking linked to increased risk of brain lesions

Heavy drinkers who have eight or more alcoholic drinks per week have an increased risk of brain lesions called hyaline arteriolosclerosis, signs of brain injury that are associated with memory and thinking problems, according to a study published on April 9, 2025, online in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The […]

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Heavy drinking linked to increased risk of brain lesions

Heavy drinkers who have eight or more alcoholic drinks per week have an increased risk of brain lesions called hyaline arteriolosclerosis, signs of brain injury that are associated with memory and thinking problems, according to a study published on April 9, 2025, online in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study does not prove that heavy drinking causes brain injury; it only shows an association.

Hyaline arteriolosclerosis is a condition that causes the small blood vessels to narrow, becoming thick and stiff. This makes it harder for blood to flow, which can damage the brain over time. It appears as lesions, areas of damaged tissue in the brain.

Heavy alcohol consumption is a major global health concern linked to increased health problems and death. We looked at how alcohol affects the brain as people get older. Our research shows that heavy alcohol consumption is damaging to the brain, which can lead to memory and thinking problems.”

Alberto Fernando Oliveira Justo, PhD, study author of University of Sao Paulo Medical School, Brazil

The study included 1,781 people who had an average age of 75 at death. All had brain autopsies.

Researchers examined brain tissue to look for signs of brain injury including tau tangles and hyaline arteriolosclerosis. They also measured brain weight and the height of each participant.

Family members answered questions about participants’ alcohol consumption.

Researchers then divided the participants into four groups: 965 people who never drank, 319 moderate drinkers who had seven or fewer drinks per week; 129 heavy drinkers who had eight or more drinks per week; and 368 former heavy drinkers. Researchers defined one drink as having 14 grams of alcohol, which is about 350 milliliters (ml) of beer, 150 ml of wine or 45 ml of distilled spirits.

Of those who never drank, 40% had vascular brain lesions. Of the moderate drinkers, 45% had vascular brain lesions. Of the heavy drinkers, 44% had vascular brain lesions. Of the former heavy drinkers, 50% had vascular brain lesions.

After adjusting for factors that could affect brain health such as age at death, smoking and physical activity, heavy drinkers had 133% higher odds of having vascular brain lesions compared to those who never drank, former heavy drinkers had 89% higher odds and moderate drinkers, 60%.

Researchers also found heavy and former heavy drinkers had higher odds of developing tau tangles, a biomarker associated with Alzheimer’s disease, with 41% and 31% higher odds, respectively.

Former heavy drinking was associated with a lower brain mass ratio, a smaller proportion of brain mass compared to body mass, and worse cognitive abilities. No link was found between moderate or heavy drinking and brain mass ratio or cognitive abilities.

Justo noted that, in addition to brain injuries, impaired cognitive abilities were observed only in former drinkers.

Researchers also found that heavy drinkers died an average of 13 years earlier than those who never drank.

“We found heavy drinking is directly linked to signs of injury in the brain, and this can cause long-term effects on brain health, which may impact memory and thinking abilities,” said Justo. “Understanding these effects is crucial for public health awareness and continuing to implement preventive measures to reduce heavy drinking.”

A limitation of the study was that it did not look at participants before death and did not have information on the duration of alcohol consumption and cognitive abilities.

The study was supported by The São Paulo Research Foundation.

American Academy of Neurology

Journal reference:

Shu, L., et al. (2025). Incidence Trends and Risk of Recurrent Stroke of Cervical Artery Dissections in the United States Between 2005 and 2019. Neurology. doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0000000000213548.

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A Coach's Mission to End the Silence Around Teen Mental Health

Jeff Olson spent nearly four decades coaching high school football and basketball in Ishpeming, Michigan. The coach’s mission during that time helped mold countless young athletes and brought home three state titles. But sports couldn’t prepare him for the most devastating loss of his life—the death of his son, Daniel. He died by suicide just […]

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A Coach's Mission to End the Silence Around Teen Mental Health

Jeff Olson spent nearly four decades coaching high school football and basketball in Ishpeming, Michigan. The coach’s mission during that time helped mold countless young athletes and brought home three state titles. But sports couldn’t prepare him for the most devastating loss of his life—the death of his son, Daniel. He died by suicide just weeks before his 20th birthday. Jeff’s mission now is to end the silence around teen mental health. He joined Maino and the Mayor to share the story.

It’s a medical illness of the brain. Just like you’d get help for a torn meniscus or diabetes, people need to get help for depression and anxiety.

Jeff Olson, Founder of “Do It for Daniel”

Jeff describes Daniel as an “All-American kid.” A standout athlete, a state finalist quarterback, and a defensive MVP on the basketball court. He was a leader, a friend, a brother, and a son who inspired those around him with his drive and spirit. But beneath the surface, Daniel was silently battling a storm that too many young people face alone. He was anxious and depressed.


Listen to the entire episode here:


“He was good at everything,” Jeff says. “Tons of friends, girlfriends, great in school—everything looked perfect from the outside. But he started feeling different as early as sixth grade.”

Jeff and his wife began to notice subtle changes—mood swings, irritability, emotional withdrawal—but Daniel, like many teenagers, kept his pain to himself. It wasn’t until his junior year of high school that he admitted he was struggling and asked for help. By then, he had already survived one suicide attempt.

But Daniel continued to struggle. Jeff says therapy, medication, even unwavering love wasn’t enough. And after two years of college football at St. Norbert in De Pere, the pressure became too much. He returned home and took his life in 2012.

The family made a courageous decision. Just two days after Daniel’s death, while sitting in a funeral home, they vowed not to stay silent. They would instead speak out—not only to honor Daniel’s life, but to prevent other families from going through this same pain.

Their promise is the foundation of the Do It for Daniel movement. It’s a mental health awareness campaign centered around a powerful documentary featuring Daniel’s life and his struggles. Jeff’s raw, honest presentation accompanies it.

He has since traveled to hundreds of schools and communities across the Midwest, using his story to dismantle the stigma surrounding mental illness.

“This isn’t about weakness,” he explains. “It’s a medical illness of the brain. Just like you’d get help for a torn meniscus or diabetes, people need to get help for depression and anxiety. But too often, they feel like they can’t.”

Jeff also stresses that mental illness is not something you just “snap out of.” It’s complex, deeply personal, and different for everyone. His goal is to help both teens and adults recognize the symptoms, find the language to describe what they’re feeling, and give them the courage to come forward.

The documentary—shown in full or through powerful 14-minute clips—has moved thousands to tears, and more importantly, to action. Jeff says he often receives messages from students, teachers, and parents who credit the presentation for changing or even saving lives.

And for Jeff, that’s the point.

“I feel like I’m Daniel’s voice now,” he says. “Helping others understand what he couldn’t explain.”

And as Mental Health Awareness Month brings renewed attention to suicide prevention, Jeff’s message is more urgent than ever: listen, talk, support, and never assume someone is okay just because they seem fine.

Learn more about the movement at doitfordaniel.com or follow Do It for Daniel on Facebook.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

988 Crisis Lifeline Information here

Mental Health in Crisis Mode: How to Reclaim What You Can Control

National Alliance on Mental Illness – Wisconsin Help Page here

State Action Plan to Address Mental Health Crisis – Take the Survey here

Mental Health – America Wellness Page here

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Catholic Athletic Assn. meeting ends in dispute over Mission League proposal

The Catholic Athletic Assn., made up of 25 high schools, voted for new leagues as part of a four-year cycle on Wednesday, but the meeting ended in disagreement, disputes and a threat that Mission League schools might leave the organization. Terry Barnum, head of athletics at Harvard-Westlake, submitted two re-leaguing plans as proposals but asked […]

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Catholic Athletic Assn. meeting ends in dispute over Mission League proposal

The Catholic Athletic Assn., made up of 25 high schools, voted for new leagues as part of a four-year cycle on Wednesday, but the meeting ended in disagreement, disputes and a threat that Mission League schools might leave the organization.

Terry Barnum, head of athletics at Harvard-Westlake, submitted two re-leaguing plans as proposals but asked they be withdrawn in favor of others as had been done in the past. It was refused. One of the plans was adopted by a 14-11 vote for football only, and now Barnum vows to appeal on procedural grounds and believes his fellow Mission League members will look to leave the CAA and form their own area.

Barnum and other Mission League representatives wanted the football-only proposal pulled. The fact it wasn’t could cause Mission League schools to pull out of the CAA, Barnum said.

He said that eight years ago in the last CAA meeting on reconfiguring league members, proposals were allowed to be withdrawn, setting a precedent. “We believe precedent and procedures were not followed,” Barnum said.

“What today showed is that there’s an ideological difference and divide in parochial schools and the Mission League,” he said. “We will never be in position to control our own destiny and rules will be bent and circumvented in order for the Mission League not to control our destiny.”

Barnum is well-respected within the CIF hierarchy as a member of the Southern Section executive committee and CAA executive committee. He said he plans to appeal the decision to the Southern Section but first must receive support from fellow Mission League members. His philosophy is to keep Mission League schools together for almost all sports. They are Harvard-Westlake, Crespi, Sierra Canyon, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, Loyola, St. Francis, Bishop Alemany and Chaminade.

The CAA meeting was originally scheduled for last Wednesday, then changed after supposedly not enough time had been given as notice to satisfy the Brown Act. Barnum said he believes the delay was designed to “allow a group of schools to rally themselves around a plan” they wanted.

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Dedicated to Mental Health

COURTESY PHOTOSUNAPEE SOFTBALL PLAYED Woodsville at home and both teams dedicated the game toward mental health awareness through Morgan’s Message. Taylor Goodspeed is the student-athlete ambassador. Morgan’s Message amplifies stories, resources and expertise to confront student-athlete mental health, builds a community by and for athletes, and provides a platform for advocacy.  4

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Dedicated to Mental Health

COURTESY PHOTO
SUNAPEE SOFTBALL PLAYED Woodsville at home and both teams dedicated the game toward mental health awareness through Morgan’s Message. Taylor Goodspeed is the student-athlete ambassador. Morgan’s Message amplifies stories, resources and expertise to confront student-athlete mental health, builds a community by and for athletes, and provides a platform for advocacy. 


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Wild chimpanzees give first aid to each other

For wounded chimpanzees, help sometimes comes in the form of first aid — care rendered not by humans but by other chimps. New research reveals the nature and prevalence of these rarely witnessed events. Thirty years of observations in Uganda’s Budongo Forest reveal that chimp-administered health care — both ape-to-ape care and self-care — happens […]

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Wild chimpanzees give first aid to each other

For wounded chimpanzees, help sometimes comes in the form of first aid — care rendered not by humans but by other chimps.

New research reveals the nature and prevalence of these rarely witnessed events. Thirty years of observations in Uganda’s Budongo Forest reveal that chimp-administered health care — both ape-to-ape care and self-care — happens frequently there, say primatologist Elodie Freymann of the University of Oxford and colleagues. She suspects these behaviors, occasionally glimpsed outside of Budongo, are widespread among chimps.

Chimps’ healing ways also hint at the possible origins of a similar impulse in humans.

Concern for other apes’ well-being “offers evidence that some of the foundations of human medicine — recognizing suffering, applying treatments and caring for others — are not uniquely human, but part of our deep evolutionary heritage,” says Christine Webb, a primatologist at Harvard University who was not involved in the research.

From the 1990s through 2022, 34 incidents of self-care were recorded at Budongo, Freymann and colleagues report May 14 in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. Some were hygienic acts, like wiping with leaves after bowel movements or mating. Several others resembled first aid applied after attacks by other chimps, or being caught in human-laid snares. Licking wounds and dabbing them with leaves were the most observed acts of self-care. Some saliva and plants contain antimicrobial compounds that might prevent infection, the researchers say.

In seven other instances, a chimp helped another chimp. And the helping hand wasn’t extended just to kin but also to unrelated individuals in need.

In one extraordinary display, a male freed an unrelated female from a snare set for game, probably saving her life. Snares frequently entangle chimps in Budongo and elsewhere in Africa, Freymann says, and it’s well-documented that the apes help free each other.

“The fact that chimpanzees treat not only themselves but also others suggests a level of social awareness that is too often underestimated,” Webb says. “It hints at an empathic sensitivity that we typically reserve for our own species.”

Freymann saw that sensitivity in two young unrelated males — one pressing his lips to and licking the other’s wound — behavior that wasn’t without risk. “I thought, wow, that’s potentially dangerous for them, that’s potentially exposing him to pathogens or contagious diseases,” Freymann says. “But he’s doing it anyway. You see camaraderie … maybe they will one day be rivals, and they’re literally licking each other’s wounds,” she says.

The origins of this apparent altruism is unclear, but Freymann saw firsthand how health care behaviors might spread from ape to ape. In 2021, a chimp named Kirabo put chewed-up bark on his wounded knee, while a youngster looked on attentively. It was “an indication that the chimp is trying to socially learn something,” Freymann says. She also found an incident recorded from 2008, in which a young female named Night, observing her mother Nambi nurse a vaginal injury after a violent attack, copied the technique — applying a chewed and folded leaf to Nambi’s swollen area.

For most injured chimps in Budongo, however, a helping hand doesn’t come, Freymann says — and she doesn’t yet understand why. “If chimps sometimes know how to help others get out of snares, for example, why aren’t they helping all chimps get out?” she asks. “Why are they being selective about this care, and why do some chimps seem to warrant it, while others don’t?”

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Vote for Messenger/Herald girls athlete of week

Vote below for the Messenger/Herald girls athlete of the week. The poll is for performances from May 5 to May 10. The poll runs from 3 p.m. Monday until 3 p.m. Wednesday. Please send athlete of week nominations for next week’s poll to mhorn@gannett.com. High school baseball Ross’ Cam Joseph knows you’re not off base […]

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Vote for Messenger/Herald girls athlete of week


Vote below for the Messenger/Herald girls athlete of the week.

The poll is for performances from May 5 to May 10. The poll runs from 3 p.m. Monday until 3 p.m. Wednesday.

Please send athlete of week nominations for next week’s poll to mhorn@gannett.com.

Candidates

Ariah Farrar had four hits, including a home run and a double, as Clyde softball topped Carey.

Effie Schulte won the 200 and was part of two first-place relays for Oak Harbor at the Ottawa County Meet.

Olivia Emerson hit for the cycle as Port Clinton softball beat Margaretta.

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Kentucky Derby

AI-assisted summaryThe Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority fined Junior Alvarado $62,000 and suspended him for two days.Alvarado used his crop eight times, exceeding the permitted six strikes, resulting in a doubled penalty due to a prior violation.This story has been updated after a spokesperson from the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority issued a statement that […]

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Kentucky Derby

AI-assisted summaryThe Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority fined Junior Alvarado $62,000 and suspended him for two days.Alvarado used his crop eight times, exceeding the permitted six strikes, resulting in a doubled penalty due to a prior violation.This story has been updated after a spokesperson from the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority issued a statement that jockey Junior Alvarado hasn’t filed an official appeal as of Monday night.Jockey Junior Alvarado reportedly is appealing his fine and suspension given to him by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority. Alvarado’s agent, Mike Sellitto, said the ruling is under appeal, according to Byron King of Bloodhorse.com.

On Monday night, The Courier Journal received a statement from an HISA spokesperson that no official appeal has been filed.

This past Friday, the Kentucky Board of Stewards issued an Order imposing a penalty against Jockey, Junior Alvarado for violating HISA’s riding crop rule in the Kentucky Derby.  The Stewards concluded that Mr. Alvarado violated HISA Rule 2280(b)(2) by using the riding crop more than the permitted amount during the Kentucky Derby. The penalty for such violations depends on the class of the violation (i.e., the number of uses of the riding crop above the permitted amount) and the amount of the purse.  In this case, Mr. Alvarado was found to have committed a Class 3 Violation in the Kentucky Derby, for which the applicable fine is 10% of the Jockey’s portion of the purse or $1,000, whichever is greater.  Mr. Alvarado’s winning mount fee was $310,000, which equates to a $31,000 fine. 

The ruling: HISA Ruling – R000722167

However, Mr. Alvarado’s fine was doubled pursuant to an escalating penalty structure for repeat riding crop violations within the previous 180 days. The escalating penalty structure was implemented to deter repeated riding crop violations and in furtherance of the safety and welfare of Covered Horses.  A copy of HISA Rule 2282 is available here: Rule-2000-Series_05.02.25.pdfRiding crop penalties may be appealed for a hearing before the Internal Adjudication Panel which will consist of three active stewards from other jurisdictions.All jockey crop fines collected go towards supporting the jockey mental health program we have put in place with Onrise, an athlete specific mental health platform.Mr. Alvarado has not yet appealed the ruling.Alvarado was fined $62,000 and suspended two days as the result of excessive crop use during his winning ride on Sovereignty in the Kentucky Derby on May 3 at Churchill Downs.

HISA ruled Alvarado used his crop eight times on Sovereignty, when the rule is that jockeys may use their crops no more than six times.

The penalty is 10% of the jockey’s earnings from the race — which would be $31,000 for the Kentucky Derby — and a one-day suspension. Since this was Alvarado’s second violation in the last 180 days, his penalty was doubled.

On Courier Journal columnist C.L. Brown‘s podcast, Alvarado said, “I forgot it was a rule. … I was seeing my dream coming true right in front of me. The whip rule was the last thing I had in my mind. I have to pay the consequences, I guess.”

Sovereignty will not run in the Preakness on May 17 and is expected to return for the final leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont on June 7 at Saratoga.

Reach sports reporter Prince James Story at pstory@gannett.com and follow him on X at @PrinceJStory.

This story was updated to add a gallery.  

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