A recent research study by Pelland and colleagues published in PLOS One provided the first evidence linking non-concussive head impacts (NHIs) to inflammatory changes in the gut microbiome in collegiate football players.

In a study researchers found that after a single collegiate football game, which involves repetitive head hits (RHHs), changes to glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) correlated with head impact exposure and reduced brain white matter integrity in 30 football players two days later.

A study of rates and mechanisms of head contact and suspected concussions in youth basketball found a lack of fouls called for head contacts during the game, despite contact to the head being illegal in basketball.

A team of experts argues that the term “subconcussive” should be replaced by the term “non-concussive” when referring to head impacts.