NHL New Concussion Video

The National Hockey League and NHLPA released a new video to educate athletes, families, coaches, and medical staff about sports concussion.  Narrated by Pat LaFontaine and featuring SNS members Dr. Paul Comper and Dr. Ruben Echemendia, the video discusses concussion signs and symptoms, diagnosis, and management.   https://www.nhl.com/video/2019-concussion-education-video/t-277350912/c-68701003

Understanding What Tests Measure

Using confirmatory factor analysis in a sample of college athletes Dr. Art Maerlander and colleagues revealed the lack of a pure memory factor in C3 Logix, which may limit its utility in measuring the effects of SRC. Find more information at DOI: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cbbbpapers/47/

Symptom Reporting by Gender and Age

Study shows that females show greater emotional endorsement across the age span but seems greater during adolescence. Read this new article examining gender differences in symptom reporting at baseline across the lifespan by Rosemarie Moser, Lauren Olek, and Phil Schatz. https://academic.oup.com/acn/article/34/1/50/4840582

NFL players are Not all impaired

New finding on retired professional NFL players shows no linear association between concussion and cognitive impairment. Read this recent article by Lindy Fields, Nyaz Didehbani, John Hart, and Munro Cullum. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nyaz_Didehbani/publication/331607981_No_Linear_Association_Between_Number_of_Concussions_or_Years_Played_and_Cognitive_Outcomes_in_Retired_NFL_Players/links/5c895f60a6fdcc3817526125/No-Linear-Association-Between-Number-of-Concussions-or-Years-Played-and-Cognitive-Outcomes-in-Retired-NFL-Players.pdf

Supervised test administration in sports

Consistent with the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing, SNS issues a Position Statement on Supervised Administration of Neuropsychological Tests in Sports.  Supervised test administration by qualified individuals greatly increases the likelihood of accurate and reliable test results, which is essential to support clinical decisions to return an athlete to play. http://www.sportsneuropsychologysociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/SNS-Statement-on-Supervised-Test-Administration-2019-FINAL.pdf

Hockey players’ secrets to resilience

Do professional hockey players respond differently to concussions than non-athletes? Can our thinking change how we recover from a concussion? Check out this recent Forbes article from our own Dr. Sonia Mosch for a professional hockey perspective. Read the full article here – https://www.fda.gov/newsevents/newsroom/pressannouncements/ucm596531.htm

Not a “Concussion Test”

An FDA press release issued on 2/14 announced, “FDA authorizes marketing of first blood test to aid in the evaluation of concussion in adults.”  Unfortunately, this headline does not accurately represent the approval, which is best captured by the release’s subtitle, “New quick testing option to help reduce need for CT scans, radiation exposure for patients.”  According…