Cortical thickness and subcortical brain volumes in professional rugby league players.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine cortical thickness and subcortical volumes in professional rugby players with an extensive history of concussions compared to control subjects.

Method: Participants included 24 active and former professional rugby league players [Age M(SD) = 33.3(6.

Placebo Effects in Traumatic Brain Injury.

In recent years, several randomized controlled trials evaluating pharmaceutical treatments for traumatic brain injury (TBI) have failed to demonstrate efficacy over placebo, with both active and placebo arms improving at comparable rates. These findings could be viewed in opposing ways, suggesting on the one hand failure of the tested outcome, but on the other, representing evidence of robust placebo effects in TBI. In this article, we examine several of the primary psychological processes driving placebo effects (verbal suggestion, cognitive re-framing, interpersonal interactions, conditioning, therapeutic alliance, anxiety reduction) as well as placebo neurobiology (top-down cortical regulation, reward system activation, dopaminergic and serotonergic neurotransmission).

A video review of multiple concussion signs in National Rugby League match play.

Background: Video review has been introduced in many professional sports worldwide to help recognize concussions. However, to date, there has been very little research on the accuracy of using video analysis to identify signs of concussion and the various combinations of observed signs.

Methods: The objective of the study is to determine the accuracy of combinations of clinical signs of concussion identified using video analysis to identify concussions in the National Rugby League (NRL).

Investigating Effects of Sex Differences and Prior Concussions on Symptom Reporting and Cognition Among Adolescent Soccer Players.

Background: There has been increasing concern regarding the possible effect of multiple concussions on the developing brain, especially for adolescent females. Hypothesis/Purpose: The objectives were to determine if there are differences in cognitive functioning, symptom reporting, and/or sex effects from prior concussions. In a very large sample of youth soccer players, it was hypothesized that (1) there would be no differences in cognitive test performance between those with and without prior concussions, (2) baseline preseason symptoms would be better predicted by noninjury factors than concussion history, and (3) males and females with prior concussions would not have differences in cognition or symptoms.

Prevalence of low test scores in a pediatric psychiatric inpatient population: Applying multivariate base rate analyses.

The understanding of neuropsychological functioning in pediatric psychiatric inpatient populations is growing, but limited, resulting in interpretive challenges. This study examined the application of multivariate base rate (MVBR) analysis in a clinical sample to appraise its utility in characterizing the frequency of low scores, as well as predictors of low scores, when using a flexible test battery. Participants included 99 children from a psychiatric inpatient unit referred for neuropsychological testing.

Sport Concussion Assessment Tool: Interpreting day-of-injury scores in professional ice hockey players.

Objectives: To characterize the clinical utility of Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 3 (SCAT3) baseline and normative reference values for the assessment of acute concussion; and to identify the sensitivity of each SCAT3 subcomponent to the acute effects of concussion.

Design: Prospective cohort.

Methods: The day-of-concussion SCAT3 results (n=27) of professional male ice hockey players (mean age=27, SD=4) were compared to athlete's individual baseline and to the league's normative reference values.

Safety of Active Rehabilitation for Persistent Symptoms After Pediatric Sport-Related Concussion: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objectives: To examine the safety and tolerability of an active rehabilitation program for adolescents who are slow to recover from a sport-related concussion, and secondarily to estimate the treatment effect for this intervention.

Design: Single-site, parallel, open-label, randomized controlled trial comparing treatment as usual (TAU) to TAU plus active rehabilitation.

Setting: Outpatient concussion clinic.

Video and clinical screening of national rugby league players suspected of sustaining concussion.

Primary Objective: This study reviewed the available sideline Sport Concussion Assessment Tool-Third Edition (SCAT3) performance of players who were removed from play using the 'concussion interchange rule' (CIR), the available video footage of these incidences, and associated return to play and concussion diagnosis decisions.

Research Design: Descriptive, observational case series.

Methods And Procedures: Data were collected from all NRL players who used the CIR during the 2014 season.

Evidence of Concussion Signs in National Rugby League Match Play: a Video Review and Validation Study.

Background: Many professional sports have introduced sideline video review to help recognise concussions. The reliability and validity of identifying clinical and observable signs of concussion using video analysis has not been extensively explored. This study examined the reliability and validity of clinical signs of concussion using video analysis in the National Rugby League (NRL).

Observational Review and Analysis of Concussion: a Method for Conducting a Standardized Video Analysis of Concussion in Rugby League.

Background: Several professional contact and collision sports have recently introduced the use of sideline video review for club medical staff to help identify and manage concussions. As such, reviewing video footage on the sideline has become increasingly relied upon to assist with improving the identification of possible injury. However, as yet, a standardized method for reviewing such video footage in rugby league has not been published.

Baseline cognitive test performance and concussion-like symptoms among adolescent athletes with ADHD: examining differences based on medication use.

Objective: Youth with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) perform more poorly on preseason cognitive testing and report more baseline concussion-like symptoms but prior studies have not examined the influence of medication use on test performance or symptom reporting. This study investigated whether medication use is relevant when interpreting baseline ImPACT® results from student athletes with ADHD.

Method: Participants were 39,247 adolescent athletes, ages 13-18 (mean age = 15.

Interpreting change on the SCAT3 in professional ice hockey players.

Objectives: To examine test-retest reliability of the SCAT3 for two consecutive seasons using a large sample of professional male ice hockey players, and to make recommendations for interpreting change on the test.

Design: A cross-sectional descriptive study.

Methods: Preseason baseline testing was administered in the beginning of the seasons 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 to 179 professional male hockey players in rink side settings.

To Change is Human: "Abnormal" Reliable Change Memory Scores are Common in Healthy Adults and Older Adults.

Objective: The rate at which people obtain reliably improved or declined cognitive test scores when retested, in the absence of a change in clinical condition, is largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to illustrate the prevalence of statistically reliable change scores on memory test batteries in healthy adults and older adults.

Method: Participants included three adult and older adult test-retest samples from memory test batteries.

Neuroepidemiology of traumatic brain injury.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant public-health concern. TBI is defined as an acute brain injury resulting from mechanical energy to the head from external physical forces. Some of the leading causes of TBI include falls, assaults, motor vehicle or traffic accidents, and sport-related concussion.

Returning to School Following Sport-Related Concussion.

Following sport-related concussion, the priorities for student athletes are return to school and extracurricular activities. Consensus-based practice recommendations emphasize rest and gradual resumption of activities. Specific evidence-based recommendations are not available.

Concussion History in Adolescent Athletes with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Little is known about the rate of concussions in adolescents with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We hypothesized that high school athletes with ADHD would report a greater history of concussion than students without ADHD. A total of 6529 adolescent and young adult student athletes, between the ages of 13 and 19 years (mean, 15.