Concussions are associated with cognitive, behavioral, and emotional health consequences for student athletes

Concussions can have a compounding effect on children, leading to long-term cognitive, behavioral, and emotional health consequences, according to researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), who published their findings in the American Journal of Sports Medicine.

Simple Blood Test May Predict Concussion Severity Just as Well as Spinal Tap

A blood biomarker in people who have had concussions may be just as accurate at predicting the severity of the injury and how long it will last as biomarkers that are obtained through more expensive and invasive tests, according to a study published in the July 8, 2020, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

New Study Finds Distinctive Neurological Pattern in Injured Havana Embassy Staff

A new study published in Frontiers in Neurology has found a distinctive neurological pattern among U.S. Embassy staffers and family members who were injured three years ago while stationed in Havana, Cuba. By analyzing videos taken during initial clinical evaluations, researchers from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine found staffers with neurological impairments had similar changes in eye movements and pupil responses.

Study Shows Vision and Balance Issues are Common in Elementary School-age Children with a Concussion

In a new study, researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have performed the most comprehensive characterization of elementary school-age concussions to date, revealing an opportunity to improve outcomes for this age group through more consistent visio-vestibular assessments at the initial health care visit.

Biomarkers May Help Us Understand Recovery Time After Concussion

A blood test may help researchers understand which people may take years to recover from concussion, according to a study published in the May 27, 2020 online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study looked at a biomarker called neurofilament light chain, a nerve protein that can be detected in the blood when nerve cells are injured or die.

Ongoing study shows continued increase in concussions among high school athletes

A new study released as part of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ (AAOS) Virtual Education Experience determined that despite increased awareness of concussions in high school athletics and traumatic brain injury (TBI) laws, the incidence continues to rise. Analysis of injury data from 2015 to 2017 is the latest to be reported in a 13-year study to evaluate the trends in reported concussion proportions and rates across nine high school sports.

Concussion May Lead to Permanent Changes in Spinal Cord Motor Nerve Pathways

Article title: Altered corticomotor latencies but normal motor neuroplasticity in concussed athletes Authors: William Stokes, Jake Choynowki, Maria St. Pierre, Manuel Alejandro Anaya, Matthew A. Statton, Pablo A. Celnik, Gabriela Cantarero From the authors: “We found that the number of concussions an…

CHOP Study Demonstrates How to Collect True Impact Incidents from Head Impact Sensors in Youth Sports

An increased awareness of concussion risks in young athletes has prompted researchers to use a variety of head impact sensors to measure frequency and severity of impacts during sports. A new study from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) shows these head sensors can record a large number of false positive impacts during real game play. The CHOP team’s study emphasizes that an extra step to video-confirm the sensor data is essential for research and for use of this data in injury prevention strategies for player safety.

Aerobic Exercise May Treat Persistent Post-Concussive Symptoms in Adults

A new study will evaluate whether persistent symptoms following concussion, also known as post-concussion syndrome, can be treated using a personalized, progressive aerobic exercise program. Data from this ongoing study by researchers at the University of Calgary will be presented this week at the Association of Academic Physiatrists Annual Meeting in Orlando.

New Blood Test Could Help Elderly Concussion Patients With Internal Head Bleeding to Get Diagnosed, Treated Faster

Novel research shows that a blood test can differentiate elderly concussion patients with brain tissue damage from those without it. This finding, published in the special brain health collection of AACC’s The Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine, could help ensure that elderly patients with severe concussions receive crucial treatment for their injuries.

Novel Research That Could Advance Testing, Treatment for Concussions Showcased in the January Issue of AACC’s The Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine

In a special brain health collection, AACC’s The Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine highlights the innovative clinical tests that laboratory medicine experts are developing to improve care for concussions.

For Concussion, MS, Other Neurologic Disorders, Telemedicine May Be as Effective as Office Visit

For people with many neurologic disorders, seeing the neurologist by video may be as effective as an in-person visit, according to a review of the evidence conducted by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN). The evidence review examined all available studies on use of telemedicine for several neurologic conditions – stroke being one of the conditions that is well-validated and highly utilizes telemedicine – and is published in the December 4, 2019, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the AAN. The results indicate that a diagnosis from a neurologist by video for certain neurologic conditions is likely to be as accurate as an in-person visit.

Concussions in high school athletes may be a risk factor for suicide

Concussion, the most common form of traumatic brain injury, has been linked to an increased risk of depression and suicide in adults. Now new research published by The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) suggests high school students with a history of sports-related concussions might be at an increased risk for suicide completion.

Repeated Brain MRI Scans in Football Players Don’t Show Increased Susceptibility to White Matter Changes at Younger Age

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans performed at the beginning and end of football season show significant changes in the brain’s white matter in both youth and high school football players, reports a study in Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

Female Athletes Seek Specialty Care for Concussion Later than Males, Potentially Contributing to Longer Recovery

Female athletes seek specialty medical treatment later than male athletes for sports-related concussions (SRC), and this delay may cause them to experience more symptoms and longer recoveries. The study raises the question of whether, in youth and high school sports, inequities in medical and athletic trainer coverage on the sidelines are contributing to delayed identification and specialized treatment of concussion for female athletes, leading to more symptoms and longer recovery trajectories.