News & Studies

The National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) warns athletes and their parents to be skeptical of claims that products such as head bands, supplements or mouth guards reduce the incidence of concussion because none supported by scientific research and peer-reviewed studies.

A week of strict cognitive and physical rest significantly improves performance of concussed athletes on neurocognitive tests and decreases severity of post-concussion symptoms, a first-of-its-kind study finds. The beneficial effects of the week of rest were seen whether the rest came soon after a concussion or even weeks to months later.

The King-Devick Test, a simple two-minute test of rapid eye movement, is an accurate "remove-from-play" sideline concussion assessment tool finds a new study by researchers in New Zealand. The rugby study confirms the value of the K-D test as an accurate and reliable method for quick assessment of concussion.

The number of children diagnosed with concussion at hospital emergency rooms has more than doubled over the last decade while the number of admissions after ER treatment declined, says the preliminary results of a 2012 study. The data suggest efforts to increase awareness of the dangers of traumatic brain injury are working.

Youth football players get hit on the helmet almost as hard as older players but not nearly as often, says researchers at Virginia Tech.

A 2012 study finds that the reduced flow of blood to the brain of concussed adolescent athletes sometimes persists longer than 30 days, and adds to the growing body of evidence that the brains of children and teens are more vulnerable to concussion, supports need for cognitive rest after concussion, and substantiates the need for more conservative management of concussions in young athletes.

Children who experience mild traumatic brain injury may be more likely to show increases in symptoms over time that could impact quality of life, more so than children who experience an orthopedic injury, says a new study, with injury severity playing a possible role.

While it is possible that intentional heading in soccer represents a form of repetitive subconcussive mild brain injury which, over time,  could be a cause of chronic traumatic encephalpathy (CTE), the possible cause-and-effect relationship remains theoretical, says a 2012 study.

The Sports Legacy Institute's  "Hit Count" initiative is designed to dramatically reduce youth athletes' exposure to repetitive brain trauma in multiple sports, with the goal to reduce concussions, sub-concussive trauma and risk of developing Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).

Team physicians who assess and treat athletes suspected of concussion have new marching orders from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), according to a team physician consensus statement released today. Under no circumstances should an athlete suspected of, or diagnosed with, a concussion return to play the day of their injury.