Dr Paul Weightman Potter
@drwp.bsky.social
🧠🔬 Neuroscientist | Research Fellow @Exeter
💥 Traumatic Brain Injury | 🧪 Immunometabolism
🦠 Microglia, Astrocytes & Brain Energy
🏉 Sport-Related Head Injuries | 🚀 Researching Neurodegeneration
📍 UK | 🏈 American Footballer and current GB Lion
💥 Traumatic Brain Injury | 🧪 Immunometabolism
🦠 Microglia, Astrocytes & Brain Energy
🏉 Sport-Related Head Injuries | 🚀 Researching Neurodegeneration
📍 UK | 🏈 American Footballer and current GB Lion
Pinned
Want to know more about how American Football impacts your brain health? I've got a study going and looking to recruit participants!
4 hours of your time and a little bit of blood, ideally in Exeter, but could also do Bristol, UK
Any questions? Please contact me by DM or email
#BrainHealth #TBI
4 hours of your time and a little bit of blood, ideally in Exeter, but could also do Bristol, UK
Any questions? Please contact me by DM or email
#BrainHealth #TBI
🧪 First look at our neuron derived EVs after head impact exposure in American football. ExoCheck neuronal panel shows at least two neuronal markers and an EV marker, with no cellular contamination. Image from today’s run.
#EVs #TBI #AmericanFootball #Biomarkers #Science #BrainInjury
#EVs #TBI #AmericanFootball #Biomarkers #Science #BrainInjury
November 7, 2025 at 1:29 PM
🧪 First look at our neuron derived EVs after head impact exposure in American football. ExoCheck neuronal panel shows at least two neuronal markers and an EV marker, with no cellular contamination. Image from today’s run.
#EVs #TBI #AmericanFootball #Biomarkers #Science #BrainInjury
#EVs #TBI #AmericanFootball #Biomarkers #Science #BrainInjury
Reposted by Dr Paul Weightman Potter
Listen to a new podcast about fetal monitoring and #braininjury open.spotify.com/episode/4Gx1...
Innovation- fetal monitoring
open.spotify.com
November 5, 2025 at 9:18 AM
Listen to a new podcast about fetal monitoring and #braininjury open.spotify.com/episode/4Gx1...
🩸 New #TBI biomarker signal
EV-GFAP in blood rises after TBI and relates to CT findings, flagging acute injury. Other EV markers were less helpful here, and plasma #GFAP still works well. We need more studies to learn when EVs add value for patients.
#Biomarkers #EVs #BrainInjury #Science 🧪
EV-GFAP in blood rises after TBI and relates to CT findings, flagging acute injury. Other EV markers were less helpful here, and plasma #GFAP still works well. We need more studies to learn when EVs add value for patients.
#Biomarkers #EVs #BrainInjury #Science 🧪
Extracellular Vesicle Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein as a Circulating Biomarker of Traumatic Brain Injury Severity - Journal of Molecular Neuroscience
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains a major global health challenge with a need for improved diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. This study aimed to evaluate the biomarker potential of extracellula...
link.springer.com
November 4, 2025 at 10:43 AM
🩸 New #TBI biomarker signal
EV-GFAP in blood rises after TBI and relates to CT findings, flagging acute injury. Other EV markers were less helpful here, and plasma #GFAP still works well. We need more studies to learn when EVs add value for patients.
#Biomarkers #EVs #BrainInjury #Science 🧪
EV-GFAP in blood rises after TBI and relates to CT findings, flagging acute injury. Other EV markers were less helpful here, and plasma #GFAP still works well. We need more studies to learn when EVs add value for patients.
#Biomarkers #EVs #BrainInjury #Science 🧪
Repetitive concussions can harm brain function even without overt cell loss 🧠
New work in mice shows that repeat hits activate microglia, which then eat away at excitatory synaptic inputs. Learning and memory suffer, despite no obvious cell death or bruising.
#Concussion #TBI #BrainInjury #Science 🧪
New work in mice shows that repeat hits activate microglia, which then eat away at excitatory synaptic inputs. Learning and memory suffer, despite no obvious cell death or bruising.
#Concussion #TBI #BrainInjury #Science 🧪
Repetitive concussions promote microglia-mediated engulfment of presynaptic excitatory input associated with cognitive dysfunction - Communications Biology
The study demonstrates the long lasting structural and functional activation of microglia that can specifically engulf excitatory synapses in the cortex and hippocampus following repetitive concussion...
www.nature.com
November 3, 2025 at 9:14 AM
Repetitive concussions can harm brain function even without overt cell loss 🧠
New work in mice shows that repeat hits activate microglia, which then eat away at excitatory synaptic inputs. Learning and memory suffer, despite no obvious cell death or bruising.
#Concussion #TBI #BrainInjury #Science 🧪
New work in mice shows that repeat hits activate microglia, which then eat away at excitatory synaptic inputs. Learning and memory suffer, despite no obvious cell death or bruising.
#Concussion #TBI #BrainInjury #Science 🧪
A new characterisation of acute traumatic brain injury: the NIH-NINDS TBI Classification and Nomenclature Initiative - The Lancet Neurology www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
#TBI #braininjury #Science 🧪
#TBI #braininjury #Science 🧪
A new characterisation of acute traumatic brain injury: the NIH-NINDS TBI Classification and Nomenclature Initiative
The clinical severity of traumatic brain injury (TBI) is commonly classified according
to the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) sum score as mild (13–15), moderate (9–12), or severe
(3–8). A new approach is ne...
www.thelancet.com
October 31, 2025 at 8:20 AM
A new characterisation of acute traumatic brain injury: the NIH-NINDS TBI Classification and Nomenclature Initiative - The Lancet Neurology www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
#TBI #braininjury #Science 🧪
#TBI #braininjury #Science 🧪
🧠It's important to understand how #CTE is different to other #brain diseases. In CTE, tau builds up around small blood vessels at the depths of cortical sulci, often in layers II and III. In #Alzheimers, tau tracks a different path and sits alongside amyloid plaques.
#Science #BrainInjury🧪
#Science #BrainInjury🧪
October 30, 2025 at 3:35 PM
🧠It's important to understand how #CTE is different to other #brain diseases. In CTE, tau builds up around small blood vessels at the depths of cortical sulci, often in layers II and III. In #Alzheimers, tau tracks a different path and sits alongside amyloid plaques.
#Science #BrainInjury🧪
#Science #BrainInjury🧪
🧠 Every #brain is different. With repetitive head impacts, wiring can be damaged and symptoms can appear. #CTE is diagnosed after death, but two clinical patterns are often discussed in life: a faster behavioural pattern and a slower #dementia like pattern.
#Science #Braininjury🧪
#Science #Braininjury🧪
October 28, 2025 at 10:24 AM
🧠 Every #brain is different. With repetitive head impacts, wiring can be damaged and symptoms can appear. #CTE is diagnosed after death, but two clinical patterns are often discussed in life: a faster behavioural pattern and a slower #dementia like pattern.
#Science #Braininjury🧪
#Science #Braininjury🧪
🧪 Day in the lab. Isolating extracellular vesicles from plasma collected after #Americanfootball using size exclusion chromatography. Next I'm optimising a method called immunoprecipitation to further isolate neuron derived EVs. Excited to see what the data show. #TBI #LabLife #Science
October 27, 2025 at 8:28 AM
🧪 Day in the lab. Isolating extracellular vesicles from plasma collected after #Americanfootball using size exclusion chromatography. Next I'm optimising a method called immunoprecipitation to further isolate neuron derived EVs. Excited to see what the data show. #TBI #LabLife #Science
#Microglia help explain why some people struggle cognitively after #TBI. Timing matters. Support early clean up, prevent long term overdrive, and protect synapses. Targeting microglia with the right therapy at the right time could change outcomes.
#BrainInjury #Science 🧪
#BrainInjury #Science 🧪
October 27, 2025 at 8:20 AM
#Microglia help explain why some people struggle cognitively after #TBI. Timing matters. Support early clean up, prevent long term overdrive, and protect synapses. Targeting microglia with the right therapy at the right time could change outcomes.
#BrainInjury #Science 🧪
#BrainInjury #Science 🧪
#Microglia also shape synapses, the connections that carry thoughts. After #TBI they may prune too much or release signals that destabilise these links, decreasing spine density and weakening brain circuits, especially in the hippocampus.
#science #Braininjury 🧪
#science #Braininjury 🧪
October 24, 2025 at 11:20 AM
#Microglia also shape synapses, the connections that carry thoughts. After #TBI they may prune too much or release signals that destabilise these links, decreasing spine density and weakening brain circuits, especially in the hippocampus.
#science #Braininjury 🧪
#science #Braininjury 🧪
After #concussion, #inflammation aids clean up and injury resolution. If #microglia stay pro inflammatory for months or years, they keep releasing molecules that disrupt circuits, worsen blood #brain barrier leaks, and recruit more immune cells, prolonging symptoms.
#BrainInjury #TBI #Science 🧪
#BrainInjury #TBI #Science 🧪
October 23, 2025 at 9:05 AM
After #concussion, #inflammation aids clean up and injury resolution. If #microglia stay pro inflammatory for months or years, they keep releasing molecules that disrupt circuits, worsen blood #brain barrier leaks, and recruit more immune cells, prolonging symptoms.
#BrainInjury #TBI #Science 🧪
#BrainInjury #TBI #Science 🧪
Following #TBI, stress signals such as oxidative stress, calcium overload, and inflammatory signalling can push vulnerable neurons toward cell death. #Microglia may fuel this cascade, linking early injury to later memory issues.
#Neuroscience #Braininjury #Science 🧪
#Neuroscience #Braininjury #Science 🧪
October 22, 2025 at 8:39 AM
Following #TBI, stress signals such as oxidative stress, calcium overload, and inflammatory signalling can push vulnerable neurons toward cell death. #Microglia may fuel this cascade, linking early injury to later memory issues.
#Neuroscience #Braininjury #Science 🧪
#Neuroscience #Braininjury #Science 🧪
Inflammation is a double-edged sword.
Microglia patrol the brain. After #TBI they rush in, clear debris, and start repairs. Helpful inflammation can turn excessive, which then amplifies damage and impairs cognition. Balancing this response could be key.
#Braininjury #Concussion #Science 🧪
Microglia patrol the brain. After #TBI they rush in, clear debris, and start repairs. Helpful inflammation can turn excessive, which then amplifies damage and impairs cognition. Balancing this response could be key.
#Braininjury #Concussion #Science 🧪
October 21, 2025 at 9:07 AM
Inflammation is a double-edged sword.
Microglia patrol the brain. After #TBI they rush in, clear debris, and start repairs. Helpful inflammation can turn excessive, which then amplifies damage and impairs cognition. Balancing this response could be key.
#Braininjury #Concussion #Science 🧪
Microglia patrol the brain. After #TBI they rush in, clear debris, and start repairs. Helpful inflammation can turn excessive, which then amplifies damage and impairs cognition. Balancing this response could be key.
#Braininjury #Concussion #Science 🧪
🧠 After a head injury, thinking and memory can slip not only from the initial hit but also from how the brain’s immune cells called microglia respond over hours, days, and months. They can help OR they can prolong problems that affect cognition.
#TBI #BrainInjury #Microglia
#TBI #BrainInjury #Microglia
October 20, 2025 at 8:38 AM
🧠 After a head injury, thinking and memory can slip not only from the initial hit but also from how the brain’s immune cells called microglia respond over hours, days, and months. They can help OR they can prolong problems that affect cognition.
#TBI #BrainInjury #Microglia
#TBI #BrainInjury #Microglia
🧪 New study advances #TBI blood tests using single extracellular vesicles (EV) profiling. #Brain EVs captured from blood and read on a chip ID'd inflammatory signals in human and rodent models. Next we need larger cohorts and tau plus glial panels. #BrainInjury
Single Extracellular Vesicle Profiling to Define Brain Specific Traumatic Brain Injury Induced Neuro‐Inflammation
A highly innovative and implementable diagnostic tool for profiling microenvironmental perturbations in TBI patients by analyzing sEVs derived from glial cells circulating in the blood. This device p....
doi.org
October 17, 2025 at 7:33 AM
🧪 New study advances #TBI blood tests using single extracellular vesicles (EV) profiling. #Brain EVs captured from blood and read on a chip ID'd inflammatory signals in human and rodent models. Next we need larger cohorts and tau plus glial panels. #BrainInjury
🧠 After a #concussion, many people struggle to focus up close. That can mean headaches, blurry reading, and fatigue.
A new study found that starting office-based vision therapy right away helped most people feel and focus better within 6 weeks, compared with waiting.
#Braininjury #TBI
A new study found that starting office-based vision therapy right away helped most people feel and focus better within 6 weeks, compared with waiting.
#Braininjury #TBI
CONCUSS randomised clinical trial of vergence/accommodative therapy for concussion-related symptomatic convergence insufficiency
Objective The CONCUSS randomised clinical trial compared the effectiveness of immediate office-based vergence/accommodative therapy with movement (OBVAM) to delayed therapy for the treatment of concus...
bjsm.bmj.com
October 16, 2025 at 3:57 PM
🧠 After a #concussion, many people struggle to focus up close. That can mean headaches, blurry reading, and fatigue.
A new study found that starting office-based vision therapy right away helped most people feel and focus better within 6 weeks, compared with waiting.
#Braininjury #TBI
A new study found that starting office-based vision therapy right away helped most people feel and focus better within 6 weeks, compared with waiting.
#Braininjury #TBI
Reposted by Dr Paul Weightman Potter
We are pleased to announce another PhD opportunity! Join Alexis Joannides for a PhD project on Imaging-Based AI Screening for Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus, funded through our Fellowship Programme. Deadline 14th January 2026.
Interested: www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/phd-stu...
Contact us for more details!
Interested: www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/phd-stu...
Contact us for more details!
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
lnkd.in
October 15, 2025 at 8:09 AM
We are pleased to announce another PhD opportunity! Join Alexis Joannides for a PhD project on Imaging-Based AI Screening for Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus, funded through our Fellowship Programme. Deadline 14th January 2026.
Interested: www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/phd-stu...
Contact us for more details!
Interested: www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/phd-stu...
Contact us for more details!
📰 Tina’s story shows how creativity can restore voice after brain injury. After a severe #TBI and coma, she learned BSL, earned Level 1, and helped build a deaf-aware community at Hughenden Gardens with Rose Ayling-Ellis’ project. Inspiring and practical.
#BSL #BrainInjury #Concussion
#BSL #BrainInjury #Concussion
How learning sign language changed my life after a brain injury
Two participants from Rose Ayling-Ellis: Old Hands, New Tricks share how BSL has transformed their lives.
www.bbc.co.uk
October 14, 2025 at 11:47 AM
📰 Tina’s story shows how creativity can restore voice after brain injury. After a severe #TBI and coma, she learned BSL, earned Level 1, and helped build a deaf-aware community at Hughenden Gardens with Rose Ayling-Ellis’ project. Inspiring and practical.
#BSL #BrainInjury #Concussion
#BSL #BrainInjury #Concussion
Reposted by Dr Paul Weightman Potter
Pleased to share a new podcast exploring concussion. hrc-braininjury.nihr.ac.uk/innovation-p... #ppi #scicomm #braininjury @braininjuryhrc.bsky.social
Innovation Podcast - Heady - NIHR Brain Injury HRC
conversation about brain injury and research into homelessness
hrc-braininjury.nihr.ac.uk
October 8, 2025 at 8:15 AM
Pleased to share a new podcast exploring concussion. hrc-braininjury.nihr.ac.uk/innovation-p... #ppi #scicomm #braininjury @braininjuryhrc.bsky.social
📣 @braininjuryhrc.bsky.social are gathering views on the unmet needs in brain injury care and ideas for tech that could improve outcomes.
Be heard. Add your voice.
Please share widely and repost. #BrainHealth #TBI #Concussion
Be heard. Add your voice.
Please share widely and repost. #BrainHealth #TBI #Concussion
Microsoft Forms
forms.office.com
October 9, 2025 at 9:35 AM
📣 @braininjuryhrc.bsky.social are gathering views on the unmet needs in brain injury care and ideas for tech that could improve outcomes.
Be heard. Add your voice.
Please share widely and repost. #BrainHealth #TBI #Concussion
Be heard. Add your voice.
Please share widely and repost. #BrainHealth #TBI #Concussion
Shane Christie’s story is heart breaking and urgent. The former Māori All Blacks and Highlanders player suffered severe symptoms after repeated head impacts and, after his death at 39, donated his brain to science. His legacy is a call for better care in rugby.
#CTE #Rugby #Braininjury #Concussion
#CTE #Rugby #Braininjury #Concussion
Latest news, sport and opinion from the Guardian
Latest US news, world news, sports, business, opinion, analysis and reviews from the Guardian, the world's leading liberal voice
theguardian.com
October 8, 2025 at 9:07 AM
Shane Christie’s story is heart breaking and urgent. The former Māori All Blacks and Highlanders player suffered severe symptoms after repeated head impacts and, after his death at 39, donated his brain to science. His legacy is a call for better care in rugby.
#CTE #Rugby #Braininjury #Concussion
#CTE #Rugby #Braininjury #Concussion
👏 Huge kudos to @braininjuryhrc.bsky.social for the Unmet Needs Directory. This needs more attention! 70 needs identified, 55 validated, mapping gaps from A&E to rehab and prevention. A brilliant launchpad for real solutions.
hrc-braininjury.nihr.ac.uk/dun
#BrainInjury #Research #neuroscience
hrc-braininjury.nihr.ac.uk/dun
#BrainInjury #Research #neuroscience
October 7, 2025 at 9:11 AM
👏 Huge kudos to @braininjuryhrc.bsky.social for the Unmet Needs Directory. This needs more attention! 70 needs identified, 55 validated, mapping gaps from A&E to rehab and prevention. A brilliant launchpad for real solutions.
hrc-braininjury.nihr.ac.uk/dun
#BrainInjury #Research #neuroscience
hrc-braininjury.nihr.ac.uk/dun
#BrainInjury #Research #neuroscience
Reposted by Dr Paul Weightman Potter
As part of the Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems Collaborative, a new guidance on communicating about brain injury was developed for clinicians, researchers, policymakers, and people with lived experience.
Key message: Brain injury doesn't define a person. It's just one part of who they are.
Key message: Brain injury doesn't define a person. It's just one part of who they are.
October 6, 2025 at 8:57 PM
As part of the Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems Collaborative, a new guidance on communicating about brain injury was developed for clinicians, researchers, policymakers, and people with lived experience.
Key message: Brain injury doesn't define a person. It's just one part of who they are.
Key message: Brain injury doesn't define a person. It's just one part of who they are.
New NIH funded work by @jon-cherry.bsky.social and team shows repeated head impacts can cause early neuron loss and inflammation in young athletes, years before classic CTE changes. This shifts the focus to cumulative exposure.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#CTE #TBI #Braininjury #concussion
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#CTE #TBI #Braininjury #concussion
Repeated head trauma causes neuron loss and inflammation in young athletes - Nature
Repetitive head impacts from contact sports are associated with brain inflammation, vascular damage and neuron loss that are independent of hyperphosphorylated tau pathology.
www.nature.com
October 6, 2025 at 7:49 AM
New NIH funded work by @jon-cherry.bsky.social and team shows repeated head impacts can cause early neuron loss and inflammation in young athletes, years before classic CTE changes. This shifts the focus to cumulative exposure.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#CTE #TBI #Braininjury #concussion
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#CTE #TBI #Braininjury #concussion
The next 12 months we will be analysing the neuron derived extracellular vesicles from American footballers to test whether they contain any #TBI or #CTE related markers and if they induce #neurodegeneration like behaviour in cells.
#braininjury #dementia #concussion
#braininjury #dementia #concussion
October 3, 2025 at 7:16 AM
The next 12 months we will be analysing the neuron derived extracellular vesicles from American footballers to test whether they contain any #TBI or #CTE related markers and if they induce #neurodegeneration like behaviour in cells.
#braininjury #dementia #concussion
#braininjury #dementia #concussion