Projects

Novel Neuroimaging Approaches to Diagnose Sport-Related Concussion and Inform “Return to Play”

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), including sport-related concussion, has become a major health issue. Nearly 10% of mTBI patients (aged 0-18 years) are symptomatic with post-concussion syndrome (PCS) three months after injury. Persistent post-concussion symptoms often result in significant disability and family burden. However, the biological explanation for these prolonged PCS symptoms remains unclear.

At present, the impact of concussion and treatment on patient function is assessed using relatively coarse observer-based neurological scales. While these assessment scales have been validated and can grossly guide decisions regarding concussion management, they have little or no predictive value.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has the potential to diagnose concussion and predict recovery, because of its ability to provide images of brain structure, function and chemical composition, all within a single imaging session. In this project, we aim to develop new data analysis techniques that allow MRI to distinguish between recently concussed youth, recently recovered youth and healthy control youth, on an individual subject level. As a result, we will have a tool that can predict the time of recovery.

Funding

Canadian Institute of Health Research (C Emery, PI) and Hotchkiss Brain Institute (C Debert, PI)