Evaluation of Head Impact Exposure and Concussion Injury Mechanisms in Youth Football

Abstract

Over 3 million youth athletes participate in tackle football in the United States. There are numerous benefits to the health and development of adolescents that participate in sports, but there are also injury risks. In particular, there has been growing concern regarding participation in youth football due to the high concussion rate and potential long-term effects from repetitive subconcussive (i.e. impacts that occur during regular participation in football and do not result in the signs or symptoms of a concussion) and concussive impacts. Studies have provided evidence suggesting that later-life neurodegenerative disease may result from repetitive head impacts sustained over many years of participating in football. Studies have also correlated changes in brain imaging and cognitive function with exposure to subconcussive impacts over a season of play, even in the absence of a concussion. Head impact sensors used for on-field data collection have allowed researchers to better understand the biomechanics of concussive and subconcussive impacts. However, there is still a limited understanding of the factors that may increase head impact exposure (HIE) and concussion risk, especially in youth athletes. Therefore the objective of this dissertation is to evaluate HIE with respect to contextual information collected from video and physical performance testing to identify factors associated with increased HIE and concussions. The secondary aim of this dissertation is to use head impact data and neuroimaging to better understand the potential effects of HIE on the brain over multiple seasons in youth football athletes.