Age, power, and sport-related concussion. Is there a tension between sport performance and concussion risk in tackle football?

Sport-related concussion (SRC) poses a barrier to otherwise health-promoting sport participation. Tackle Football (American Football) is a popular sport with an elevated risk of SRC, which prioritises strength and conditioning. The association between physical performance, notably lower body maximal muscle power and concussion rate, is not well understood in youth tackle football.

Quiet Stance Postural Control in Women Who Have a History of Brain Injury from Intimate Partner Violence: A Preliminary Study.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) frequently results in brain injury (IPV-BI) among survivors, with potential long-term effects for both physical and psychological health. This study aimed to examine the impact of chronic IPV-BI on postural control with (eyes open, [EO]) and without (eyes closed, [EC]) visual cues. We hypothesized that more exposure to a history of IPV-BI would be associated with greater postural control disruptions.

Effects of interval exercise and diurnal variation on blood biomarkers for sport-related concussion: A crossover cohort study.

Objectives: Preliminary investigation of exercise and diurnal effects on neurofilament light, glial fibrillary acidic protein, ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1 and total tau.

Methods: Plasma biomarkers were assayed from blood drawn before, during, immediately following, and 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 24, and 48-h following three exercise conditions completed on a cycle ergometer (control [stationary], moderate intensity interval training and high intensity interval training). Participants with no prior concussion history completed each condition randomized four weeks apart.

Quantification of the cerebral pressure-flow relationship directional sensitivity: Reliability of shorter repeated squat-stand durations.

The magnitude of changes in middle cerebral artery mean blood velocity (MCAv) is attenuated when mean arterial pressure (MAP) increases compared with when MAP decreases. This directional sensitivity has been characterized using a time-corrected ratio calculated on MCAv and MAP changes induced by repeated squat-stands (RSS) at 0.05 and 0.

Altered autonomic cardiovascular function in adults with persisting post-concussive symptoms and exercise intolerance.

Alterations in autonomic cardiovascular function may result following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), but there is a lack of data evaluating autonomic function in adults with persisting post-concussive symptoms (PPCS). We collected resting measures of heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), blood pressure (BP) and cardiac baroreceptor sensitivity in 50 adults with PPCS (42.8 (11.

Directional sensitivity analysis of the cerebral pressure-flow relationship during normothermia and moderate hyperthermia.

Dynamic cerebral autoregulation (dCA) reacts differently when mean arterial pressure (MAP) increases versus decreases (i.e., directional sensitivity).

Hypocapnia, eucapnia and hypercapnia during "Where's Waldo" search paradigms: Neurovascular coupling across the cardiac cycle and biological sexes.

This investigation explored the impact of partial pressure of end-tidal carbon dioxide (PCO) alterations on temporal neurovascular coupling (NVC) responses across the cardiac cycle and the influence of biological sex via a complex visual scene-search task (""). 10 females and 10 males completed five puzzles, each with 40 seconds of eyes open and 20 seconds of eyes closed, under PCO clamped at ∼40 mmHg (eucapnia), ∼55 mmHg (hypercapnia), and ∼25 mmHg (hypocapnia). Cerebral blood velocity (CBv) in the middle and posterior cerebral arteries (MCAv, PCAv) were measured via Transcranial Doppler ultrasound.

Evaluating a 12-week aerobic exercise intervention in adults with persisting post-concussive symptoms.

Background: Although guidelines support aerobic exercise in sub-acute mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), evidence for adults with persisting post-concussive symptoms (PPCS) after mTBI is lacking. The objective was to evaluate the impact of a sub-symptom threshold aerobic exercise intervention on overall symptom burden and quality of life in adults with PPCS.

Methods: This prospective cohort study was nested within the ACTBI Trial (Aerobic Exercise for treatment of Chronic symptoms following mild Traumatic Brain Injury).

A multimodal neuroimaging study of cerebrovascular regulation: protocols and insights of combining electroencephalography, functional near-infrared spectroscopy, transcranial Doppler ultrasound, and physiological parameters.

. The current paper describes the creation of a simultaneous trimodal neuroimaging protocol. The authors detail their methodological design for a subsequent large-scale study, demonstrate the ability to obtain the expected physiologically induced responses across cerebrovascular domains, and describe the pitfalls experienced when developing this approach.

Consequences of adolescent sport-related concussion: exploring long-term cardiorespiratory fitness and adiposity.

Background: Little is known regarding long-term consequences (≥5 years) of sport-related concussion (SRC) sustained during adolescence. Adolescent SRC has been linked to athlete considerations of sport participation and subsequent retirement from sport during this critical developmental period. Prolonged SRC symptoms can reduce ability to perform physical activity, and research suggests inactivity can extend years post-injury.

Challenging dynamic cerebral autoregulation across the physiological CO spectrum: Influence of biological sex and cardiac cycle.

This study applied alterations in partial pressure of end-tidal carbon dioxide ( ) to challenge dynamic cerebral autoregulation (dCA) responses across the cardiac cycle in both biological sexes. A total of 20 participants (10 females and 10 males; aged 19-34 years) performed 4-min bouts of repeated squat-stand manoeuvres (SSMs) at 0.05 and 0.

Quantifying neurovascular coupling through a concurrent assessment of arterial, capillary, and neuronal activation in humans: A multimodal EEG-fNIRS-TCD investigation.

Background: This study explored a novel multimodal neuroimaging approach to assess neurovascular coupling (NVC) in humans using electroencephalography (EEG), functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), and transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD).

Methods: Fifteen participants (nine females; age 19-32) completed concurrent EEG-fNIRS-TCD imaging during motor (finger tapping) and visual ("Where's Waldo?") tasks, with synchronized monitoring of blood pressure, capnography, and heart rate. fNIRS assessed microvascular oxygenation within the frontal, motor, parietal, and occipital cortices, while the middle and posterior cerebral arteries (MCA/PCA) were insonated using TCD.

Neurovascular coupling methods in healthy individuals using transcranial doppler ultrasonography: A systematic review and consensus agreement.

Neurovascular coupling (NVC) is the perturbation of cerebral blood flow (CBF) to meet varying metabolic demands induced by various levels of neural activity. NVC may be assessed by Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography (TCD), using task activation protocols, but with significant methodological heterogeneity between studies, hindering cross-study comparisons. Therefore, this review aimed to summarise and compare available methods for TCD-based healthy NVC assessments.

Feasibility of superimposed supine cycling and lower body negative pressure as an effective means of prolonging exercise tolerance in individuals experiencing persisting post-concussive symptoms: Preliminary results.

To examine the feasibility, utility and safety of superimposed lower body negative pressure (LBNP) and tilt during supine cycling in individuals suffering from persisting post-concussive symptoms (PPCS). Eleven individuals aged 17-31 (6 females/5 males) participated in two randomized separate visits, 1 week apart. A ramp-incremental test was performed during both visits until volitional failure.

Does exercise modality and posture influence cerebrovascular and cardiovascular systems similarly?

Cerebral hemodynamics have been quantified during exercise via transcranial Doppler ultrasound, as it has high-sensitivity to movement artifacts and displays temporal superiority. Currently, limited research exists regarding how different exercise modalities and postural changes impact the cerebrovasculature across the cardiac cycle. Ten participants (4 females and 6 males) ages 20-29 completed three exercise tests (treadmill, supine, and upright cycling) to volitional fatigue.

Sensor-Assisted Analysis of Autonomic and Cerebrovascular Dysregulation following Concussion in an Individual with a History of Ten Concussions: A Case Study.

Introduction: Concussion is known to cause transient autonomic and cerebrovascular dysregulation that generally recovers; however, few studies have focused on individuals with an extensive concussion history.

Method: The case was a 26-year-old male with a history of 10 concussions, diagnosed for bipolar type II disorder, mild attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and a history of migraines/headaches. The case was medicated with Valproic Acid and Escitalopram.

Maximizing the Reliability and Precision of Measures of Prefrontal Cortical Oxygenation Using Frequency-Domain Near-Infrared Spectroscopy.

Frequency-domain near-infrared spectroscopy (FD-NIRS) has been used for non-invasive assessment of cortical oxygenation since the late 1990s. However, there is limited research demonstrating clinical validity and general reproducibility. To address this limitation, recording duration for adequate validity and within- and between-day reproducibility of prefrontal cortical oxygenation was evaluated.

A systematic review, meta-analysis meta-regression amalgamating the driven approaches used quantify dynamic cerebral autoregulation.

Numerous driven techniques have been utilized to assess dynamic cerebral autoregulation (dCA) in healthy and clinical populations. The current review aimed to amalgamate this literature and provide recommendations to create greater standardization for future research. The PubMed database was searched with inclusion criteria consisting of original research articles using driven dCA assessments in humans.

Directional sensitivity of the cerebral pressure-flow relationship during forced oscillations induced by oscillatory lower body negative pressure.

A directional sensitivity of the cerebral pressure-flow relationship has been described using repeated squat-stands. Oscillatory lower body negative pressure (OLBNP) is a reproducible method to characterize dynamic cerebral autoregulation (dCA). It could represent a safer method to examine the directional sensitivity of the cerebral pressure-flow relationship within clinical populations and/or during pharmaceutical administration.

Heart Rate Variability and Pulse Rate Variability: Do Anatomical Location and Sampling Rate Matter?

Wearable technology and neuroimaging equipment using photoplethysmography (PPG) have become increasingly popularized in recent years. Several investigations deriving pulse rate variability (PRV) from PPG have demonstrated that a slight bias exists compared to concurrent heart rate variability (HRV) estimates. PPG devices commonly sample at ~20-100 Hz, where the minimum sampling frequency to derive valid PRV metrics is unknown.