Concussion Research

On-going Research

Brain Protein Predicts Recovery Time Following Concussion
A team led by Jessica Gill, R.N., Ph.D. of the National Institute of Nursing Research at the National Institutes of Health and Jeffrey Bazarian, M.D., M.P.H. of the University of Rochester Medical Center evaluated changes in tau in 46 Division I and III college athletes who experienced a concussion. Tau, which plays a role in the development of chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE, frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease was measured in preseason blood samples and again within 6 hours following concussion using an ultra-sensitive technology that allows researchers to detect single protein molecules.

URMC Joins Nationwide Concussion Consortium
Jeffrey Bazarian, M.D., professor of Emergency Medicine, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Neurology and Neurosurgery, has joined the largest sports concussion research project ever, a $30 million NCAA- U.S. Department of Defense Grand Alliance.

Menstrual Cycle Influences Concussion Outcomes
Researchers found that women injured during the two weeks leading up to their period (the premenstrual phase) had a slower recovery and poorer health one month after injury compared to women injured during the two weeks directly after their period or women taking birth control pills.

Off-Season Doesn't Allow Brain to Recover from Football Hits, Study Says
Six months off may not be long enough for the brains of football players to completely heal after a single season, putting them at even greater risk of head injury the next season.