Concussions in Sports: UBC Researchers Study Brain Function in Football Players

Strategic Insights -

Researchers at the University of British Columbia are studying the impact of hits to the head in football, investigating the link between an athlete's brain function and the number of hits sustained. The study, which kicked off last season, involves UBC players wearing sensors behind their ears to collect data on hits and brain function. The goal is to understand concussions better, preventing them, treating them, and understanding when they happen.

Key Takeaways:

  • The University of British Columbia is conducting a study on concussions in football players, using sensors to collect data on hits and brain function.
  • The study, led by Jean-Sebastien Blouin, aims to understand the link between an athlete's brain function and the number of hits sustained.
  • The research team is collecting data on 1,000 football players, including Brandon Deschamps, who suffered a concussion in the first quarter of his first game.
  • The study has been driven in large part by two kinesiology students, Harrison Brown and Alexander Rebchuk.
  • Players have been upbeat about the project, and the research team has been able to keep the sensors from being too much of a nuisance.
  • The study will not release findings until the spring, but researchers are thinking big, with the dream of having a sensor that can detect a concussion and recommend removal from the game.

Statistics:

  • 1,000 football players are participating in the study, including 2,000 sensor readings collected over two seasons.
  • Brandon Deschamps, a University of British Columbia running back, suffered a concussion in the first quarter of his first game.
  • The National Football League and former players agreed to a $1-billion (U.S.) concussion settlement earlier this year.
  • Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) has been linked to football and is the signature brain disease of the sport.

Sources:

  • [The Globe and Mail]
  • Brandon Deschamps, University of British Columbia running back
  • Jean-Sebastien Blouin, study's principal investigator and associate professor at UBC's School of Kinesiology