IU Receives $2.9M Grant to Study Subconcussive Impacts

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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIndiana University has been awarded a $2.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to research subconcussive head impacts. IU says the large-scale study will use neurologic assessments to monitor the brain health of high school football players.
The study, which is being led by Kei Kawata assistant professor of kinesiology at the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington, aims to determine whether, and to what extent, repetitive subconcussive head impacts negatively impact brain health in adolescents.
“This will be a monumental study to understand safe or unsafe levels of head impacts exposure in high school football, so we can provide a safe platform for players to enjoy football,” said Kawata.
According to the university, athletes sustains an average of 650 subconcussive head impacts in a single season. Subconcussive head impacts, which do not show signs and symptoms of concussion, can negatively affect brain health.
When applied repeatedly, IU says the impacts can trigger subclinical cellular and molecular disruptions in brain cells. Ultimately, the research is expected to help establish safety guidelines for young athletes exposed to head impacts.
The four-year project will include athletes from Bloomington High School North, Bloomington High School South, Edgewood High School and Mooresville High School.
The study will use computerized mouthguards, neurological imaging and blood samples to measure every impact athletes endure during play, assessing players’ potential eyeball and eyelid movement impairment, information processing, and blood biomarkers.
The university says the project is an extension of a study Kawata piloted in 2019 which focused on subconcussive hits among football athletes at Bloomington North High School.