Sports Sciences Commons^™

Head Impact Exposure In Youth And Collegiate American Football, Grace B. Choi, Eric P. Smith, Stefan M. Duma, Steven Rowson, Eamon Campolettano, Mireille E. Kelley, Derek A. Jones, Joel D. Stitzel, Jillian E. Urban, Amaris Genemaras, Jonathan G. Beckwith, Richard M. Greenwald, Arthur C. Maerlender, Joseph J. Crisco

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

The relationship between head impact and subsequent brain injury for American football players is not well defined, especially for youth. The objective of this study is to quantify and assess Head Impact Exposure (HIE) metrics among youth and collegiate football players. This multiseason study enrolled 639 unique athletes (354 collegiate; 285 youth, ages 9–14), recording 476,209 head impacts (367,337 collegiate; 108,872 youth) over 971 sessions (480 collegiate; 491 youth). Youth players experienced 43 and 65% fewer impacts per competition and practice, respectively, and lower impact magnitudes compared to collegiate players (95th percentile peak linear acceleration (PLA, g) competition: 45.6 vs …

Constructing Neural Network Models From Brain Data Reveals Representational Transformations Linked To Adaptive Behavior, Takuya Ito, Guangyu Robert Yang, Patryk Laurent, Douglas H. Schultz, Michael W. Cole

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

The human ability to adaptively implement a wide variety of tasks is thought to emerge from the dynamic transformation of cognitive information. We hypothesized that these transformations are implemented via conjunctive activations in “conjunction hubs”—brain regions that selectively integrate sensory, cognitive, and motor activations. We used recent advances in using functional connectivity to map the flow of activity between brain regions to construct a task-performing neural network model from fMRI data during a cognitive control task. We verified the importance of conjunction hubs in cognitive computations by simulating neural activity flow over this empirically-estimated functional connectivity model. These empiricallyspecified simulations …

Affective Flexibility As A Developmental Building Block Of Cognitive Reappraisal: An Fmri Study, Jordan E. Pierce, Eisha Haque, Maital Neta

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Cognitive reappraisal is a form of emotion regulation that involves reinterpreting the meaning of a stimulus, often to downregulate one’s negative affect. Reappraisal typically recruits distributed regions of prefrontal and parietal cortex to generate new appraisals and downregulate the emotional response in the amygdala. In the current study, we compared reappraisal ability in an fMRI task with affective flexibility in a sample of children and adolescents (ages 6–17, N = 76). Affective flexibility was defined as variability in valence interpretations of ambiguous (surprised) facial expressions from a second behavioral task. Results demonstrated that age and affective flexibility predicted reappraisal ability, …

Comparison Of Landing Biomechanics Between Different Competitive Levels Of Irish Dance, Jade Shields

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Abstract

Objectives: To determine differences in lower limb landing biomechanics and lower extremity function scale scores between champion levels, in young female Irish dancers.

Design: Cross-sectional.

Setting: McDade-Cara School of Irish Dance

Participants: 12 Open Champion (OC) level female Irish dancers (11.9 ± 3.37 years) and 9 Preliminary Champion (PC) Irish dancers (13.5 ± 3.37 years) performed the landing error scoring system test (LESS), and completed the lower extremity functional scale (LEFS) and a descriptive data questionnaire

Main outcome measures: LESS scoring sheet and LEFS PRO

Results: No significant differences found between OC and PC levels on …

In-Season Concussion Symptom Reporting In Male And Female Collegiate Rugby Athletes, Emily E. Kieffer,, P. Gunnar Brolinson, Arthur C. Maerlender, Eric Smith, Steven Rowson

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Symptom inventories are generally only collected after a suspected concussion, but regular in-season monitoring may allude to clinical symptoms associated with repetitive subconcussive impacts and potential undiagnosed concussions. Despite sex-specific differences in symptom presentation and outcome of concussion, no return-to-play protocol takes sex into account. The objective of this study was to monitor a cohort of contact-sport athletes and compare the frequency and severity of in-season concussion-like symptom reporting between sexes. Graded symptom checklists from 144 female and 104 male athlete-seasons were administered weekly to quantify the effect of subconcussive impacts on frequency and severity of in-season symptom reporting. In-season, …

Impact Of Acute Exercise On Micrornas Related To Concussion Symptoms, Emily Work

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Impact of acute exercise on microRNAs related to concussion symptoms

Concussions, or traumatic brain injury (TBI), are a serious medical problem affecting approximately 1.7 million people in the United States each year. Current tools for analysis of concussion include the Glasgow Coma Scale, SCAT5, computerized topography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), however, these tools are typically not indicative of the range and severity of symptoms a patient may experience. Recent studies have explored the use of microRNAs as a biomarker for TBI severity in patients who have already experienced a TBI. We seek to investigate the microRNA levels in …

Deep-Learning-Based Multivariate Pattern Analysis (Dmvpa): A Tutorial And A Toolbox, Karl M. Kuntzelman, Jacob M. Williams, Phui Cheng Lim, Ashtok Samal, Prahalada K. Rao, Matthew R. Johnson

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

In recent years, multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) has been hugely beneficial for cognitive neuroscience by making new experiment designs possible and by increasing the inferential power of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG), and other neuroimaging methodologies. In a similar time frame, “deep learning” (a term for the use of artificial neural networks with convolutional, recurrent, or similarly sophisticated architectures) has produced a parallel revolution in the field of machine learning and has been employed across a wide variety of applications. Traditional MVPA also uses a form of machine learning, but most commonly with much simpler techniques based on …

Survey Of Prevention And Intervention Strategies Reducing Return To Play Post-Concussion In Division 1 Football, Joseph F. Clark, Enna Selmanovic, Kip Drewry, Jon Vincent, Aaron Himmler, Bob Mangine, Kim Hasselfeld, Jane Khoury, David Polanski, Jon Divine

Journal for Sports Neuroscience

Abstract.

Introduction

Sports related concussion, also considered mTBI, has remained in the public eye due to heightened fear concerning playing football and other collision based sports. Concussion prevention, as well as rehabilitating the brain after a concussion, is a high priority for many sports medical practitioners as well as for athletes. For these reasons, researchers associated with the American Athletic Conference (AAC) have surveyed concussion incidence in football. One of the AAC teams engaged in regular neurovisual training (NVT) and concluded this training program is associated with faster return to play post-injury in this observational cohort study.

Methods

The …

Resting Cerebral Oxygen Metabolism Exhibits Archetypal Network Features, Nicholas A. Hubbard, Monroe P. Turner, Kevin R. Sitek, Kathryn L. West, Jakub R. Kaczmarzyk, Lyndahl Himes, Binu P. Thomas, Hanzhang Lu, Bart Rypma

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Standard magnetic resonance imaging approaches offer high-resolution but indirect measures of neural activity, limiting understanding of the physiological processes associated with imaging findings. Here, we used calibrated functional magnetic resonance imaging during the resting state to recover low-frequency fluctuations of the cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2). We tested whether functional connections derived from these fluctuations exhibited organization properties similar to those established by previous standard functional and anatomical connectivity studies. Seventeen participants underwent 20 min of resting imaging during dual-echo, pseudocontinuous arterial spin labeling, and blood-oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) signal acquisition. Participants also underwent a 10 min normocapnic and hypercapnic …

Somatosensory Dysfunction Is Masked By Variable Cognitive Deficits Across Patients On The Alzheimer’S Disease Spectrum, Alex I. Wiesman, Victoria M. Mundorf, Chloe C. Casagrande, Sara L. Wolfson, Craig M. Johnson, Pamela E. May, Daniel L. Murman, Tony W. Wilson

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is generally thought to spare primary sensory function; however, such interpretations have drawn from a literature that has rarely taken into account the variable cognitive declines seen in patients with AD. As these cognitive domains are now known to modulate cortical somato-sensory processing, it remains possible that abnormalities in somatosensory function in patients with AD have been suppressed by neuropsychological variability in previous research. Methods: In this study, we combine magnetoencephalographic (MEG) brain imaging during a paired-pulse somatosensory gating task with an extensive battery of neuropsychological tests to investigate the influence of cognitive variability on estimated …

Science-Based Regulation Of Pharmacological Substances In Competition Horses, Jacob Machin

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

Current testing methodologies within equine forensic toxicology focus on arbitrary thresholds and zero-tolerance policy. Modern analytical chemistry’s limits of detection are low enough that oftentimes femtogram-per-milliliter amounts of a substance can readily be identified in both blood and urine of a horse. For most pharmacologically relevant compounds, these concentrations have no relevance to pharmacological effect. It is therefore crucial that testing methodologies to determine appropriate thresholds and cut-offs be developed that are driven by biological activity rather than arbitrary limits of detection. This dissertation looks to address this by suggesting a system of calculated Effective Plasma Concentrations by which a …

The Role Of Hamstring Contraction During Running: An Analysis, Theodore Hu

Senior Honors Theses

The hamstring muscle group, spanning the posterior aspect of the proximal lower limb, generates large amounts of contractile force during running. Researchers have examined this power generation within different phases of the stride cycle. Forces generated by the hamstrings hold implications for both running efficiency and the role of strengthening for injury prevention. The goal of this review is to examine the hamstring’s unique physiology as a bi-articular muscle, its role in running stride, various training philosophies, and the specific impact on running economy contributing to overall running performance. The summation of research presented shows that the hamstring muscle group …

Firefighters Self-Efficacy Of Injuries And Willingness To Report Injuries Within The Southeast Region Of The United States, Marissa Villafuerte

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

CONTEXT: Firefighting is a dangerous profession often leading to minor and severe injuries. Injuries range from basic first aid to fatalities. Over a third of injuries linked to muscular-skeletal injuries (MSKI). To address MSKI, the fire service has turned to preventative and rehabilitation care such as on-site health care professionals.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was 1) to understand rural firefighters' self-efficacy of injury care and willingness to report MSKIs, 2) compare on-site preventative care fire departments to traditional fire departments and 3) describe the influence of on-site self-efficacy of MSKI care and willingness to report injuries based on …

Diagnostic Accuracy Of Mcmurry’S Test In The Diagnosis Of Meniscal Tears, Jessica Smyth, Hartwell Rainey

Physician Assistant Capstones, 2020-current

No abstract provided.

Developing A Computer-Controlled Treat Dispenser For Canine Operant Conditioning, Walker Arce, Jeffrey R. Stevens

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

When performing canine operant conditioning studies, the delivery of the reward can be a limiting factor of the study. While there are a few commercially available options for automatically delivering rewards, they generally require manual input, such as using a remote control, in accordance with the experiment script. This means that human reaction times and transmission distances can cause interruptions to the flow of the experiment. The potential for development of non-supervised conditioning studies is limited by this same factor. To remedy this, we retrofitted an off-the-shelf treat dispenser with new electronics that allow it to be remotely controllable as …

Aci-35 And Aadvac1 Active Immunotherapy As Preventative Treatment Options For Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, Emily C. Boehlein

Selected Honors Theses

One of the most common, as well as one of the most dangerous injuries amongst athletes today is mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), commonly known as concussion. Aside from physical symptoms such as nausea, dizziness, and headaches; concussions have can have longterm effects on brain physiology. A common neurological disease that can result from multiple concussions is Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), characterized by symptoms such as severe depression, anxiety, confusion, and aggression; amongst others.1 On the cellular level, CTE is classified by a unique pathway that leads to the hyperphosphorylation of tau protein and subsequent clumping of tau-containing neurofibrillary tangles …

Core Neuropsychological Measures For Obesity And Diabetes Trials: Initial Report, Kimberlee D'Ardenne, Cary R. Savage, Dana Small, Uku Vainik, Luke E. Stoeckel

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Obesity and diabetes are known to be related to cognitive abilities. The Core Neuropsychological Measures for Obesity and Diabetes Trials Project aimed to identify the key cognitive and perceptual domains in which performance can influence treatment outcomes, including predicting, mediating, and moderating treatment outcome and to generate neuropsychological batteries comprised of well-validated, easy-to-administer tests that best measure these key domains. The ultimate goal is to facilitate inclusion of neuropsychological measures in clinical studies and trials so that we can gather more information on potential mediators of obesity and diabetes treatment outcomes. We will present the rationale for the project and …

Flexible Coordinator And Switcher Hubs For Adaptive Task Control, Carrisa V. Cocuzza, Takuya Ito, Douglas H. Schultz, Dabielle D. Bassett, Michael W. Cole

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Functional connectivity (FC) studies have identified at least two large-scale neural systems that constitute cognitive control networks, the frontoparietal network (FPN) and cingulo-opercular network (CON). Control networks are thought to support goal-directed cognition and behavior. It was previously shown that the FPN flexibly shifts its global connectivity pattern according to task goal, consistent with a “flexible hub” mechanism for cognitive control. Our aim was to build on this finding to develop a functional cartography (a multimetric profile) of control networks in terms of dynamic network properties. We quantified network properties in (male and female) humans using a high-control-demand cognitive paradigm …

Validating Tackle Mechanics In American Football: Improving Safety And Performance, Arthur C. Maerlender, Caitlin J. Masterson, Rex Norris, Adam Hinthorne

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Research has helped to understand the risks of injuries of tackling in American football and rugby; however, approaches to teaching and analysis are not well-documented. Shoulder-led tackling has been proposed as a safer approach to tackling even though data on the effectiveness for safety and defensive performance is limited. Additionally, some have argued that safety and effectiveness are incompatible. The purpose of the study was to validate a specific sequence of tackling actions as a tool for teaching safer and more effective tackling skills. Results suggested tackle scores help predict presence of head contact, and that higher tackle scores were …

Language, Motor, And Cognitive Outcomes Of Toddlers Who Were Born Preterm, Diane Frome Loeb, Caitlin M. Imgrund, Jaehoon Lee, Steven Barlow

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the language, motor, and cognitive abilities of children born preterm in four categories: (a) healthy preterm infants, (b) infants of diabetic mothers, (c) infants with respiratory distress syndrome, and (d) infants with chronic lung disease when the children were 30 months, uncorrected age. Comorbidity of language, motor, and cognitive skills was examined, along with predictor variables.

Method: A total of 148 children who were born preterm participated and were assessed using bivariate tests and logistic regression on standardized assessment scores.

Results: Controlling for the children’s gestational age (GA), overall language ability …

Myocardial Work Index: A Novel Method For Assessment Of Myocardial Function In South Asian Recreational Athletes, Shantanu Sengupta, Renuka Jain, Nitin Burkule, Susan Olet, Bijoy K. Khandheria

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: We used a novel noninvasive method based on speckle-tracking echocardiography to evaluate myocardial performance in South Asian recreational athletes who completed a half marathon.

Methods: Transthoracic echocardiography was performed on 24 recreational athletes 48 hours before they took part in a half marathon (premarathon), within 2 hours of half marathon completion (postmarathon), and 72 hours after completion. Clinical, laboratory, and echocardiographic variables were collected. Speckle-tracking echocardiography was performed in all subjects to characterize myocardial mechanics.

Results: Mean age of participants was 41.8 ± 7.4 years, and 23 (95.8%) were male. No subject had a prior history of coronary artery …

Alexithymia Symptoms Are Not Associated With Childhood Trauma Or Crhr1 Rs110402 Genotype, Emily Wiatr, Grace Sullivan, Scott Stoltenberg

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Alexithymia is associated with difficulties in emotional self-regulation, and alexithymia is specifically associated with an absence of emotional experience and cognition of emotion. Past research has indicated a potential association between alexithymia and the CRHR1 gene . Situational factors may also impact the expression of the CRHR1 gene within an individual. Berenbaum (1996) found associations between PTSD/childhood trauma and alexithymia. This study examined these associations using the Online Alexithymia Questionnaire-G2 (OAQ-G2) as well as DNA samples gathered from 657 participants at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (72% women; 78.6% white; mean age= 20.34; standard deviation of 2.6). It was hypothesized that …

Neuropsychological Change After A Single Season Of Head Impact Exposure In Youth Football, Arthur C. Maerlender, Eric Smith, P. Gunnar Brolinson, Joseph J. Crisco, Jillian Urban, Amaris Ajamil, Steven Rowson, Eamon T. Campolettano, Ryan A. Gellner, Srinidhi Bellamkonda, Emily Kieffer, Mireille E. Kelley, Derek Jones, Alex Powers, Jonathan Beckwith, Joel Stitzel, Richard M. Greenwald, Stefan Duma

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Objectives: Head impact exposure (HIE) in youth football is a public health concern. The objective of this study was to determine if one season of HIE in youth football was related to cognitive changes.

Method: Over 200 participants (ages 9–13) wore instrumented helmets for practices and games to measure the amount of HIE sustained over one season. Pre- and post-season neuropsychological tests were completed. Test score changes were calculated adjusting for practice effects and regression to the mean and used as the dependent variables. Regression models were calculated with HIE variables predicting neuropsychological test score changes.

Results: For the full …

The Effect Of In-Service Methodology On Learning Transfer For School Personnel Managing Students Following Concussion, Jennifer Parent-Nichols, Angela Desilva Mousseau, Joshua Cleland, Jonathan D. Lichtenstein, Arthur C. Maerlender

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Background: It is essential to increase the knowledge base of teachers involved in facilitating return to learning in middle school students following a concussion. However, the best method to enhance the transfer of learning for teachers remains to be elucidated. Application of Adult Learning Theory (ALT) is a plausible solution to this problem. Purpose: The purpose of this randomized post-test study was to examine the effects of ALTon the transfer of learning in teachers who work with individuals with concussion. Methods: A convenience sample of 169 teachers at four middle schools were randomized to receive an in-service regarding concussion management …

Sleep And Stress In The Acute Phase Of Concussion In Youth, Arthur C. Maerlender, Caitlin Masterson, Jessica L. Calvi, Todd Caze, Ross Mathiasen, Dennis Molfese

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

This study sought to address the complex interplay between both biological and psychological perceptions of stress and sleep in the acute stages following a mild traumatic brain injury. A secondary goal was to identify potential targets for intervention. Eleven acutely injured youth (mean age 12 years) were studied at home with overnight actigraphy, salivary cortisol and melatonin assays, and subjective ratings of stress and fatigue (injured group). Nine matched control youth also were assessed (control group). Results suggested longer sleep latencies (time to fall asleep) and higher levels of fatigue in the injured group exist (p ¼ 0.025 and p …

The Global Assessment Of School Functioning (Gasf): Criterion Validity And Interrater Reliability, Arthur C. Maerlender, Joseph Palamara, Jonathan Lichtenstein

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

The Global Assessment of School Functioning (GASF) provides a robust estimate of a student's overall level of functioning within the school environment. It is intended to capture a global metric reflecting academic, social and general behavioral functioning within the school. It is a modification of the Global Assessment of Functioning and reflects functioning across academics, interpersonal relationships, school behavior, and school participation. It was developed to allow school personnel a means to communicate the general level of student functioning without re- verting to specific issues or immediate concerns. This paper reports on the scale's criterion validity and interrater reliability. Confirmations …

Psychometric Properties Of The Standardized Assessment Of Concussion In Youth Football: Validity, Reliability, And Demographic Factors, Arthur C. Maerlender, Eric Smith, P. Gunnar Brolinson, Jillian Urban, Steven Rowson, Amaris Ajamil, Eamon T. Campolettano, Ryan A. Gellner, Srinidhi Bellamkonda, Mireille E. Kelley, Derek Jones, Alex Powers, Jonathan Beckwith, Joseph J. Crisco, Joel Stitzel, Stefan Duma, Richard M. Greenwald

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

The objective of this study was to determine the psychometrics (reliability, validity) of the original Standardized Assessment of Concussion (SAC) in a youth sample (ages 11 to 13). Demographic factors of race, level of vocabulary knowledge, mother’s level of education were also considered. Over 150 youth football athletes completed the SAC and a brief battery of NIH Toolbox cognitive tests as part of a larger study on biomechanical factors in youth sport concussion. This was a within-subjects design (pre-season, post-season assessments), and correlational analysis of convergent and discriminant validity. Between groups analysis based on demographic differences was also employed. The …

Modeling Interactions Between Brain Function, Diet Adherence Behaviors, And Weight Loss Success, Amanda N. Szabo-Reed, Laura E. Martin, Jinxiang Hu, Hung-Wen Yeh, Joshua Powell, Rebecca J. Lepping, Trisha M. Patrician, Florance J. Breslin, Joseph E. Donnelly, Cary R. Savage

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Summary

Introduction: Obesity is linked to altered activation in reward and control brain cir-cuitry; however, the associated brain activity related to successful or unsuccessful weight loss (WL) is unclear.

Methods: Adults with obesity (N = 75) completed a baseline functional magnetic res-onance imaging (fMRI) scan before entering a WL intervention (ie,3-month diet and physical activity [PA] program). We conducted an exploratory analysis to identify the contributions of baseline brain activation, adherence behavior patterns, and the asso-ciated connections to WL at the conclusion of a 3-month WL intervention. Food cue-reactivity brain regions were functionally identified using fMRI to index brain activation …

Males With Chronic Ankle Instability Demonstrate Deficits In Neurocognitive Function Compared To Control And Copers, Adam B. Rosen, Melanie L. Mcgrath, Arthur C. Maerlender

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to determine if there were neurocognitive deficits among controls, copers and those with chronic ankle instability (CAI). Participants included those without history of ankle injury (n = 14), ankle sprain copers (n = 13) and patients with self-reported CAI (n = 14). They completed a battery of valid and reliable computer-based neurocognitive tests. The differences between neurocognitive domain scores were compared across the Control, Coper and CAI groups. Patients with CAI had lower composite memory, visual memory and simple attention compared to controls. In males with CAI, large differences in memory and attention were …

Neural Bases Of Phonological And Semantic Processing In Early Childhood, Avantika Mathur, Douglas H. Schultz, Yingying Wang Dr.

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

During the early period of reading development, children gain phonological (letter-to-sound mapping) and semantic knowledge (storage and retrieval of word meaning). Their reading ability changes rapidly, accompanied by learning-induced brain plasticity as they learn to read. This study aims at identifying the neural bases of phonological and semantic processing in early childhood by using a combination of univariate and multivariate pattern analysis. Nineteen typically developing children between the age of five and seven performed visual word-level phonological (rhyming) and semantic (related meaning) judgment tasks during functional magnetic resonance imaging scans. Our multivariate analysis showed that young children with good reading …