Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Research utilizes clinical and research efforts on concussion to validate objective diagnostic tests, investigate novel treatments for enhanced recovery and reduce risk through preventive measures.
Faculty members collaborating on research related to concussion prevention and treatment include:
-
CTE is a neurodegenerative disease that may be caused by participating in sports with repetitive head impacts.
Stern RA, Adler CH, Chen K, Navitsky M, Luo J, Dodick DW, Alosco ML, Tripodis Y, Goradia DD, Martin B, Mastroeni D, Fritts NG, Jarnagin J, Devous MD Sr, Mintun MA, Pontecorvo MJ, Shenton ME, Reiman EM. Tau positron-emission tomography in former National Football League players. New England Journal of Medicine. 2019;380:1716.
-
A new portable EEG device might help with objective identification of concussed athletes.
Fickling SD, Smith AM, Pawlowski G, Ghosh Hajra S, Liu CC, Farrell K, Jorgensen J, Song X, Stuart MJ, D'Arcy RCN. Brain vital signs detect concussion-related neurophysiological impairments in ice hockey. Brain. 2019;142:255.
-
King-Devick (KD) test results were abnormal in all athletes who sustained a concussion, but also in some athletes who didn't sustain a witnessed concussion.
Hubbard R, Stringer G, Peterson K, Vaz Carneiro MRF, Finnoff JT, Savica R. The King-Devick test in mixed martial arts: The immediate consequences of knock-outs, technical knock-outs, and chokes on brain functions. Brain Injury. 2019;33:349.
-
Football athletes who sustained a concussion had significantly increased risk of subsequently injuring their lower extremity for more than a year after concussion.
Krill ML, Nagelli C, Borchers J, Krill MK, Hewett TE. Effect of concussions on lower extremity injury rates at a Division I collegiate football program. Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine. Aug. 22, 2018.
-
A slower King-Devick test time for concussed athletes may indicate a concussion in youth athletes.
Dhawan P, Leong D, Tapsell L, Starling A, Galetta S, Balcer L, Overall T, Adler J, Halker-Singh R, Vargas B, Dodick D. King-Devick test identifies real-time concussion and asymptomatic concussion in youth athletes. Neurology: Clinical Practice. 2017;7:464.
-
A telemedicine robot may be able to provide remote concussion assessments of athletes.
Vargas BB, Shepard M, Hentz JG, Kutyreff C, Hershey LG, Starling AJ. Feasibility and accuracy of teleconcussion for acute evaluation of suspected concussion. Neurology. 2017;88:1580.
-
No difference found in high school students who played contact sports and those who played non-contact sports in the incidence of neurodegenerative diseases.
Janssen PHH, Mandrekar J, Mielke MM, Ahlskog JE, Boeve BF, Josephs K, Savica R. High school football and late-life risk of neurodegenerative syndromes, 1956-1970. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2017;92:66.
-
Incidence of concussions, head hits and other injuries were less in those who participated in the intensified fair play training in youth hockey tournaments.
Smith AM, Gaz DV, Larson D, Jorgensen JK, Eickhoff C, Krause DA, Fenske BM, Aney K, Hansen AA, Nanos SM, Stuart MJ. Does fair play reduce concussions? A prospective, comparative analysis of competitive youth hockey tournaments. BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine. March 4, 2016.
-
Injury risk in women's international ice hockey competitions were about half of that observed in men, included contusions and most often affected the lower body.
Tuominen M, Stuart MJ, Aubry M, Kannus P, Tokola K, Parkkari J. Injuries in women's international ice hockey: An 8-year study of the World Championship tournaments and Olympic Winter Games. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2016;50:1406.
-
Use full facial protection to reduce common injuries to the face and upper body in hockey.
Tuominen M, Stuart MJ, Aubry M, Kannus P, Parkkari J. Injuries in world junior ice hockey championships between 2006 and 2015. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2017;51:36.