In an article published in The Sport Journal, Luis Gude and Gillian Hotz, from the University of Miami, argue that cheerleading involves complex acrobatic maneuvers that put participants at risk for serious injuries—especially concussions; denying that cheerleading is a sport means denying its participants access to the same concussion resources provided for other athletes.

Researchers tested male and female adolescent mice, with different severities of TBI, for sensitivity to the rewarding effects of cocaine. The male mice showed increased sensitivity after TBI, but the females with high levels of female sex hormones at the time of their TBI showed neuroprotection against cocaine sensitivity.

Researchers at UC San Francisco have done an extensive review of cases involving children with post-concussion syndrome (PCS). They have established what treatments are most applicable for different symptoms.

While concussion in sports discussions often focus on football, in high school by far the biggest culprit is girl’s soccer. While the explanation for this gender gap in concussion risk is debated (some claim a later neck muscle development in girls), the difference of 12.1% more concussions in girls than boys is shocking (34.5% to 22.4%).

Concussion Alliance provided educational components for the Sports and Traumatic Brain Injury conference, hosted by the Northwest Brain Injury Symposium (NWBIS). The event was part of the NWBIS lecture series and compliments the Smithsonian traveling exhibit “Hometown Teams.”

Concussion Alliance is now partnering with TeachAids to further our mutual concussion education efforts. Concussion Alliance connected the Northwest Brain Injury Symposium with the CrashCourse film, which they presented at their July conference.

This article is a brief history on the research into light therapy (photobiomodulation) using LED light devices as a potential treatment for mTBI, persistent post-concussion symptoms, and possible CTE.

The Canadian company PreveCeutical Medical has developed a sustained-release CBD formulation of their Sol-gel pain-relief technology. These easy-to-use treatments release cannabinoids into the central nervous system through nasal mucosal tissue.

A day-long course, “Evidence-based Management of Vision Deficits Following Mild to Moderate TBI” will be presented by one of the leading researchers and clinicians in the field, Neera Kapoor, OD, MS, FAAO, FCOVD-A.

Since Kelley O’Hara of the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team sustained a head injury during the World Cup and immediately reentered the game, the concussion protocols for soccer have been called into question once again. The concussion rate in women’s soccer equals or exceeds the rate in men's football according to a number of high school and college studies.

Mayo Clinic has established a three-step concussion protocol called “Concussion Check” for parents and coaches to determine if athletes should return to play: first, recognize the signs of a concussion and remove the injured athlete; second, assess their memory; and finally, conduct the King-Devick eye movement test.

A leading researcher has presented two case studies with retired professional football players who had suffered repetitive head impacts and had possible CTE based on their medical history. The case studies showed that the LED and red light therapy had significant positive effects, confirmed with clinical tests, and fMRI brain scans.

In a video of her recent presentation at UW Medicine/Gonzaga University, researcher Christine MacDonald PhD shares several important discoveries about the impact of combat concussions on mental health. The EVOLVE study, for which she is the lead researcher, found that those who suffer combat concussions worsen over the course of their 1-year and 5-year follow-ups.

A new study has found a novel way to tell the difference between concussion patients with persistent symptoms and those who have recovered quickly by looking at their brains response time. Researchers are investigating post-concussion syndrome (PCS) by using transcranial magnetic stimulation.

USL’s announcement signals an increased willingness to address concussions in sport. However, there are two troubling aspects of this proposal. Firstly, the USL plans to amend their proposal to include a decision cutoff time of around 10 minutes. There is ample evidence to suggest that a cutoff in this time frame would be insufficient for proper diagnosis.

A new study by Cecchi et al. published in PLOS-One, explores head impact risks in water polo. Water polo is a full contact water sport where grappling is part of the strategy; it has a high potential for head injury and concussion. Researchers found that the sport poses a head impact risk to high-level collegiate players and that risks differ by positions.

Tottenham Hotspurs defender Jan Vertonghen sustained a serious concussion during the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League. Despite medical attention, Vertonghen was sent back in to play within 6 minutes of the injury, then nearly collapsed. The incident has caused international consternation about concussion rules in soccer, and their enforcement.

The nonprofit TeachAids.org, which was spun out of Stanford University, has been working to create “concussion education reimagined for today’s generation.” Their first product is a CrashCourse, a 10-minute video which was filmed in Virtual Reality and HD. The viewer is set on the field during a football game and must choose whether to leave the game after a significant hit.

For the first time, the University of Calgary will be providing a free, non-credit online course “Concussion: prevention, management, and treatment.”

The course runs from April 8 to May 27, 2018, and is part of the Universite of Laval’s Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) program. Anyone from anywhere in the world can take the course, which is in English.

Doctoral researcher Rebecca Denniss tells Concussion Alliance about her research investigating the potential for micronutrients to improve cognition following traumatic brain injury.