Athletics

Conference to focus on sport-related concussions

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Researchers in the Center for Sport Concussion Research and Service at Penn State are hosting a conference from Oct. 11-12 at the Penn State University Park campus. Titled "Concussion in Athletics: From Brain to Behavior," the conference will provide an overview of the current understanding of the causes, risk factors and treatments of sport-related concussions.

“The Centers for Disease Control estimates that 1.7 million people receive concussions -- or traumatic brain injuries (TBI) -- each year, and about half a million children aged 0 to 14 years make visits to the emergency department for TBIs each year,” said Semyon Slobounov, professor of kinesiology and the center’s director. “Concussions are especially common among athletes. It’s really a silent epidemic because you can’t see the injury; you can’t see the memory problems or headaches that people with concussions have. And very little is known about the short- or long-term effects of concussions.”

The upcoming conference is intended to provide an overview of what is known about sport-related concussions. Specifically, it will focus on the following topics: (1) current developments in clinical assessments of sport-related concussions, (2) the cumulative effects of concussive and sub-concussive blows, (3) pediatric sport concussions, (4) advanced brain imaging tools, (5) neuropathology of concussions using animal models, (6) management of sport-related concussions in clinical practice and (7) biomechanics of helmetry.

The conference is intended to benefit medical practitioners, athletic trainers, coaches, athletes and parents of athletes, as well as researchers and students who are interested in kinesiology, psychology, exercise, neuroscience and sport medicine. Attendance at the conference will qualify certain professionals to receive continuing education credits.

The goal of the Center for Sport Concussion Research and Service at Penn State is to advance research on sport-related concussions and to provide services to local collegiate and child athletes in the form of baseline assessments that can aid in their recovery in the event that they receive a concussion.

More information about the center is on the web at http://www.concussion.psu.edu/.

To learn more about the upcoming conference, go to: http://www.hhdev.psu.edu/Concussion-in-Athletics.

Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

Last Updated September 21, 2012

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