Concussion Study Awarded Additional Funds

PNG says 50 to 90 percent of high school athletes experience changes in brain behavior.

A research study led by researchers from the Indiana University School of Medicine has received $42 million in a series of awards to continue the exploration of concussions in athletes. The study is considered one of the most comprehensive examinations of head injuries sustained by collegiate athletes as it tracks them after their college career has ended.

The study is a collaborative effort of the NCAA and the U.S. Department of Defense, which formed the Concussion Assessment, Research and Education consortium in 2014. Together they examined head impact exposure and brain health on athletes and members of the military academies who sustained brain injuries. IU says the next phase examines the long-term impact on athletes in contact sports.

“This new phase of funding will allow for us to even further expand on the study’s original goals, enabling us to follow athletes after they’ve moved on from their collegiate and service academy careers to see how concussion and repetitive head impacts affect them later in life,” said Dr. Thomas McAllister, who leads the study. “This research will not only help to inform our understanding and treatment of traumatic brain injury, but also provide valuable information for youth sports participants and their families.”

The new funding allows researchers to build upon what they learned by following former research participants to evaluate the long-term or late effects of traumatic brain injuries for up to 10 years or more after initial exposure or injury.