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D'Lauro C, Register-Mihalik JK, Meier TB, Kerr ZY, Knight K, Broglio SP, Leeds D, Lynall RC, Kroshus E, McCrea MA, McAllister TW, Schmidt JD, Master C, McGinty G, Jackson JC, Cameron KL, Buckley T, Kaminski T, Mihalik JP. Optimizing Concussion Care Seeking: Connecting Care-Seeking Behaviors and Neurophysiological States Through Blood Biomarkers. Am J Sports Med 2024; 52:801-810. [PMID: 38340366 DOI: 10.1177/03635465231221782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Timely and appropriate medical care after concussion presents a difficult public health problem. Concussion identification and treatment rely heavily on self-report, but more than half of concussions go unreported or are reported after a delay. If incomplete self-report increases exposure to harm, blood biomarkers may objectively indicate this neurobiological dysfunction. PURPOSE/HYPOTHESIS The purpose of this study was to compare postconcussion biomarker levels between individuals with different previous concussion diagnosis statuses and care-seeking statuses. It was hypothesized that individuals with undiagnosed concussions and poorer care seeking would show altered biomarker profiles. STUDY DESIGN Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. METHODS Blood samples were collected from 287 military academy cadets and collegiate athletes diagnosed with concussion in the Advanced Research Core of the Concussion Assessment, Research and Education Consortium. The authors extracted each participant's self-reported previous concussion diagnosis status (no history, all diagnosed, ≥1 undiagnosed) and whether they had delayed or immediate symptom onset, symptom reporting, and removal from activity after the incident concussion. The authors compared the following blood biomarkers associated with neural injury between previous concussion diagnosis status groups and care-seeking groups: glial fibrillary acidic protein, ubiquitin c-terminal hydrolase-L1 (UCH-L1), neurofilament light chain (NF-L), and tau protein, captured at baseline, 24 to 48 hours, asymptomatic, and 7 days after unrestricted return to activity using tests of parallel profiles. RESULTS The undiagnosed previous concussion group (n = 21) had higher levels of NF-L at 24- to 48-hour and asymptomatic time points relative to all diagnosed (n = 72) or no previous concussion (n = 194) groups. For those with delayed removal from activity (n = 127), UCH-L1 was lower at 7 days after return to activity than that for athletes immediately removed from activity (n = 131). No other biomarker differences were observed. CONCLUSION Individuals with previous undiagnosed concussions or delayed removal from activity showed some different biomarker levels after concussion and after clinical recovery, despite a lack of baseline differences. This may indicate that poorer care seeking can create neurobiological differences in the concussed brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher D'Lauro
- Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
- Investigation performed at University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Johna K Register-Mihalik
- Matthew Gfeller Center & STAR Heel Performance Laboratory, Department of Exercise and Sport Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
- Investigation performed at University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Timothy B Meier
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
- Investigation performed at University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Zachary Yukio Kerr
- Matthew Gfeller Center & STAR Heel Performance Laboratory, Department of Exercise and Sport Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
- Investigation performed at University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Kristen Knight
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
- Investigation performed at University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Steven P Broglio
- University of Michigan Concussion Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Investigation performed at University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Daniel Leeds
- Computer and Information Sciences, Fordham University, New York, New York, USA
- Investigation performed at University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Robert C Lynall
- UGA Concussion Research Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
- Investigation performed at University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Emily Kroshus
- University of Washington, Department of Pediatrics & Seattle Children's Research Institute, Center for Child Health, Behavior, and Development, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Investigation performed at University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Michael A McCrea
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
- Investigation performed at University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Thomas W McAllister
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
- Investigation performed at University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Julianne D Schmidt
- UGA Concussion Research Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
- Investigation performed at University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Christina Master
- Division of Orthopedics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Investigation performed at University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Gerald McGinty
- United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
- Investigation performed at University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Jonathan C Jackson
- United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
- Investigation performed at University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Kenneth L Cameron
- Keller Army Hospital, United States Military Academy, West Point, New York, USA
- Investigation performed at University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Thomas Buckley
- Department of Kinesiology & Applied Physiology, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
- Investigation performed at University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Thomas Kaminski
- Department of Kinesiology & Applied Physiology, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
- Investigation performed at University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Jason P Mihalik
- Department of Exercise and Sport Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
- Investigation performed at University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
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McIver KG, Lee P, Bucherl S, Talavage TM, Myer GD, Nauman EA. Design Considerations for the Attenuation of Translational and Rotational Accelerations in American Football Helmets. J Biomech Eng 2023; 145:061008. [PMID: 36628996 PMCID: PMC10782865 DOI: 10.1115/1.4056653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Participants in American football experience repetitive head impacts that induce negative changes in neurocognitive function over the course of a single season. This study aimed to quantify the transfer function connecting the force input to the measured output acceleration of the helmet system to provide a comparison of the impact attenuation of various modern American football helmets. Impact mitigation varied considerably between helmet models and with location for each helmet model. The current data indicate that helmet mass is a key variable driving force attenuation, however flexible helmet shells, helmet shell cutouts, and more compliant padding can improve energy absorption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin G. McIver
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907
| | - Patrick Lee
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907
| | - Sean Bucherl
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907
| | - Thomas M. Talavage
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221; School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907
| | - Gregory D. Myer
- Emory Sports Performance and Research Center (SPARC), Flowery Branch, GA 30542; Emory Sports Medicine Center, Atlanta, GA 30329; Department of Orthopaedics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30329; The Micheli Center for Sports Injury Prevention, Waltham, MA 02452
| | - Eric A. Nauman
- Dane A. and Mary Louise Miller Professor Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Cincinnati, 2901 Woodside Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45221
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Leeds DD, Zeng Y, Johnson BR, Foster CA, D'Lauro C. Beliefs affecting concussion reporting among military cadets: advanced observations through machine learning. Brain Inj 2022; 36:156-165. [PMID: 35133926 DOI: 10.1080/02699052.2022.2034945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Untreated concussions are an important health concern. The number of concussions sustained each year is difficult to pinpoint due to diverse reporting routes and many people not reporting. A growing body of literature investigates the motivations for concussion under-reporting, proposing ties with knowledge of concussion outcomes and concussion culture. The present work employs machine learning to identify trends in knowledge and willingness to self-report concussions. METHODS 2,204 cadets completed a survey addressing athletic and pilot status, concussion symptoms and outcome beliefs, ethical beliefs, demographics, and reporting willingness. RESULTS Clustering and non-negative matrix analysis identified connections to self-report willingness within: knowledge of symptoms, ethical beliefs, reporting requirements, and belief of long-term concussion outcomes. Support vector machine classification of cadet reporting likelihood reveals symptom and outcome knowledge may be inversely related to reporting among those rating ethics considerations as low, while heightened ethics may predict higher reporting likeliness overall. CONCLUSIONS Machine-learning analysis bolsters prior theories on the importance of concussion culture in reporting and indicate more symptom knowledge may decrease willingness to report. Uniquely, our analysis indicated importance of ethical behavior may be associated with general concussion reporting willingness, inviting further consideration from healthcare practitioners seeking increased reporting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel D Leeds
- Computer and Information Science Department, Fordham University, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Yue Zeng
- Computer and Information Science Department, Fordham University, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Brian R Johnson
- Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Marry Land, USA
| | - Craig A Foster
- Psychology Department for SUNY Cortland, State University of New York College at Cortland, Cortland, New York, USA
| | - Christopher D'Lauro
- Department of Behavioral Science and Leadership, United States Air Force Academy, USAF, Colorado Springs, CO, USA
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