By Florence Almond |
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has expanded itsresearch into the effects of repetitive head impacts and concussions as a result of sport.
It comes after the organization received almost $10 million from the United States Department of Defense (DOD).
The NCAA says the research is the world’s most comprehensive concussion report with a study group of more than 40,000 student athletes and cadets at 30 colleges and military service academies.
The funding has been upped over two years as the NCAA has set aside cash to help expand the second stage of research.
The NCAA and DOD have worked together on the Concussion Assessment, Research and Education Consortium, known as the CARE Consortium, since 2014.
The goal of the research was to understand the impact of concussions on the brain and identify ways to improve diagnosis, treatment and prevention.
Researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine, the University of Michigan and the Medical College of Wisconsin, in collaboration with the Uniformed Services University, continue to collate data but the new phase of research will focus on the longer term effects.
Participants in the study will now be tested when they leave college and for up to four years after they leave student sports.
The study will also look at whether concussions and repetitive head impacts have any effect on depression, anxiety or emotional control.
“We have gathered important information about the short-term effects of concussions over the past few years, but there is still a lot we do not understand about how our brains respond to different types of impact over time,” said the study’s administration and operations lead, Thomas McAllister.
“By comparing these groups across multiple years, we think we can parse out the effects of concussions, versus repetitive head impacts, versus normal life at university.
“This is critical for us to make informed decisions that protect our athletes, members of the military and other members of our communities.”
To read more about the results of the study, click here.
Republished with permission from insidethegames.biz.