NCAA

Age of first exposure to contact sport has uncertain implications for later life brain health. There are currently no prospective studies that have evaluated this possibility. This study, helmed by Jaclyn Caccese, a postdoctoral research fellow at Delaware, relied on data from the ongoing NCAA-Department of Defense Concussion Assessment, Research and Education Consortium study to examine the association between estimated age of first exposure to contact sport participation and neurocognitive performance and symptom ratings in male U.S. service academy NCAA athletes.

Prominent concussion researchers previously have suggested incorporating levels of certainty into concussion diagnosis based on clinical experience. Gian-Gabriel Garcia, a postdoctoral industrial and operations engineering student at Michigan, led a team of researchers that sought to create a predictive model that could stratify concussion assessment and diagnosis based on objective data rather than clinical experience alone across a range of categories: no concussion, possible, probable or definite.

Previous studies have found that repetitive head impacts to athletes during adolescence can have potentially detrimental effects much later in life. But what short-term effects might that early-life exposure have?

How is an athlete’s physical quality of life affected in the wake of a concussion?

While the understanding of sport-related concussion and its short- and long-term consequences has continued apace, what role might exposure to repetitive head impacts play in brain health and vulnerability to injury?

No two student-athletes are the same, but what factors influence the baseline results that clinicians use to help diagnose concussions and evaluate recovery after injury?

It seems intuitive that athletes who are removed from play soon after a concussion might experience better outcomes than those who continue to press on, but is that the case?

What cognitive differences are present between student-athletes in contact and noncontact sports?

A litany of concussion assessment tools are available to practitioners, but what test — or combination of tests — is most effective in making an accurate diagnosis?

As concussion symptoms abate, is the brain recovering at the same pace at the cellular level?

Nicole Hoffman led a team of researchers who examined how someone's sleep duration affects symptoms and recovery in the days after a concussion.