No description available.

Yes / This article discusses the current evidence for the short- and long-term effects of concussion in sport and how occurrences of concussion should be managed. The article also considers the potential role of medical imaging in terms of assessing both acute and chronic head injuries. Greater awareness of when medical imaging could be used will aid the practitioner's understanding of its potential contribution while still maintaining the fundamental importance of clinical judgement.

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / In this pilot study, 28 subjects ages 0 to 6 years who had sustained head injuries were assessed as to their functional status at one and six months post hospital discharge. The functional assessments used were the Rand Child Health Scale, the Battelle Developmental Inventory Screening Test, the Battelle Developmental Inventory Motor Domain, and the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory. Correlations between these functional measures and trauma scores reported through the National Pediatric Trauma Registry (Glasgow Coma Scale; Injury Severity Score, and Pediatric Trauma Score) were calculated to determine the predictive capacity of the trauma scores in determining functional outcome. The trauma scores were not found to be reliable predictors of functional outcome in these young children. / 2031-01-01

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / The goals of the present research were two fold: first to examine an acute head injury sample to test memory functions, second to study what parts of the memory process are most affected during post traumatic amnesia with special emphasis on retrieval of structured material in delayed recall. Subsidiary interests include studying recovery and the relationship between memory functioning and severity of injury. After head injury a common complaint is a transitory period of amnesia for recent events (PTA). PTA is often thought of as one stage in the recovery of consciousness and is believed to be an index of neurological severity. A model was proposed to account for amnesia. Two separate memory mechanisms prior to permanent storage were hypothesized, one for short term and the other for long term storage. Inputs are coded on the basis of recurrent patterns of common features. Retrieval occurs by means of the coded representation. Amnesia is viewed as a malfunctioning of the coding mechanism. Amnesia is thus held to be an inability to fully utilize coding of stimulus material as an aid in recall. Following this theory, it was predicted that the perceptive and cognitive functions were operating in amnesia and that immediate recall was also unimpaired. The major prediction was that retrieval of structured stimulus material by delayed recall would be impaired compared to normals, while retrieval of unrelated stimulus material would be unimpaired. Retrieval by recognition would only be mildly impaired because less information is required for recognition than for recall. Hence, the memory event can be reconstructed in recognition on the basis of partial coding. It was further predicted that, with recovery, there would be improvement of memory functioning and that there would be a relationship between severity of injury and memory functioning. A Memory Scale was constructed which included four subtests designed to test the above theory. Each subtest included both related and unrelated stimulus material. An additional test (a Picture Similarities Test) was employed to measure conceptualization. Forty seven acute head injury patients were tested as soon after injury as possible and matched with forty four control subjects (patients with acute trauma, but no head injury) on the basis of age, education, occupation and performance on the Ammons Picture Vocabulary Test. Head injury patients with approximately normal intelligence (Ammons I.Q. 80 or above) followed the predictions with these exceptions: Immediate recall and recognition of related stimulus material showed a trend toward impairment, though immediate recall and recognition of unrelated stimulus material did not. The findings with the patients with normal intelligence suggest, that while cognitive and perceptual abilities are not affected by trauma, utilization of organization as an aid in recall of related stimulus material is not as effective in the experimental· as in the control group. Head injury patients with low I.Q.'s (79 or below on the Ammons) demonstrated impairment of perception and immediate recall as well as the predicted impairment of delayed recall. These patients appeared to exhibit a generalized cognitive disturbance. No definite trends toward recovery were observed on any of the memory tests. There was also no relationship between severity of injury and performance on the Memory Scale. However, there was a significant correlation between performance on the Ammons and Picture Similarities tests and neurological severity. Patients with the lowest scores on these tests were most impaired neurologically. Intelligence thus appears to be more closely associated with severity of injury than is memory functioning per se. / 2031-01-01

In this research study, the correlation and significance of head injuries in adult sex offenders that have committed crimes against children were measured and compared to a group of criminal offenders that have committed non-sex-related criminal offenses. Data on 30 randomly selected individuals from each of the two groups (60 individuals total) were collected to measure and compare the number of individuals with a head injury in each group. The purpose of this research was to gain a better understanding of why criminally deviant behaviors occur in adults. This research also hoped to encourage further research on this topic or similar topics that can lead to new ideas in prevention, intervention, and treatment plans in sex offenders.

There is a high incidence of head injury in children, yet few studies have systematically studied cognitive outcome. This study was designed as a survey to (a) establish the nature of intellectual and neuropsychological deficits that occur after head injuries of differing severity in children aged 6 to 14 years, (b) establish the nature of recovery curves in the first year after injury, and (c) determine which medical and psychosocial factors are associated with poor cognitive outcome and which functions show persisting impairment. From 1134 children admitted with head injury to Red Cross and Groote Schuur Hospitals during a 2-year period, a consecutive sample of all those who had post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) over 1 hour, a compound depressed or basal skull fracture, a seizure, or any evidence of neurological involvement, was collected (n=388). Further requirements that they should be between 6 and 14 years, English or Afrikaans speaking, and have no history of significant cerebral pathology or mental retardation, reduced the sample to 123 children. Severity groups were formed according to the length of PTA: 56 moderates (PTA less than 1 day), 40 severes (PTA 1 to 7 days), and 28 very severes (PTA more than 7 days). They were matched for age, sex, socioeconomic status and ethnic group with 46 controls who had traumatic injury not involving the head. Detailed accident, medical and psychosocial data were collected. The children were assessed on a battery of tests covering intelligence, language, motor speed, visuographic and memory functions, as soon as they were out of PTA (Tl), 3 months later (T2), and at 1-year post-injury (T3). The 4 groups are compared at each interval on Tukey' s studentized range test and the extent of recovery within and between the groups is compared by repeated measures analysis of variance.

Introduction-Physical activity can reduce the risk of contracting many of the 'diseases of the sedentary', such as coronary heart disease and cancer (Blair et al., 1996). Recognition of this protective effect has led to the development of many programmes designed to promote the benefit of participation in sport and physical exercise (Hillary Commission, 1993; Nicholl et aI., 1995). With participation in sport, especially contact sport, the risk for injuries increases, including injuries to the head and neck (Wilberger, 1993; Wekesa et al., 1996; Pettersen, 2002). Mild traumatic brain injuries (MTBI) or concussion as used interchangeably in the literature (Maroon et al., 2000; Wills & Leathem, 2001) are an important public health concern, due to the high incidence and frequently persisting symptomatology (Evans, 1992). Mild traumatic brain injury is defined as a complex patho-physiological process affecting the brain induced by traumatic biomechanical forces (Aubry et al., 2002; McCrory et al., 2004). A sub-concussive injury or very mild traumatic brain injury (vMTBI) may be defined as an apparent brain insult with insufficient force to cause hallmark symptoms of concussion (Jordan, 2000; Webbe & Bath, 2003). The high incidence of sport related head injuries in South Africa is alarming, although the prevalence thereof is unknown and difficult to assess, as the seemingly trivial injuries frequently remain unreported (Roux et al., 1987). This is especially applicable in sport where a milder form of head injury is common. This is cause for concern as cumulative head injuries traditionally regarded as trivial or 'minor' may result in players running the risk of increasingly negative consequences following repetitive 'minor' head injuries. In contact sport such as rugby, players are at great risk of sustaining repetitive mild traumatic brain injuries. The negative outcome following these repetitive minor head injuries has been demonstrated by numerous studies on boxers and other athletes exposed to repeated MTBI and vMTBI (McLatchie et aI., 1987). The incidence of vMTBI has not yet been researched in school rugby and this study is the first to report the incidence of vMTBI in a secondary school rugby team. Obiectives - The objectives of this study were to determine the incidence, the neuropsychological consequences and the effect on the academic performance of repeated mild (MTBI) and very mild traumatic brain injuries (vMTBI) in a secondary school rugby team during one playing season. Methods - A cohort of 35 secondary school male rugby players divided into a vMTBI (group 1) (n=26) and a MTBI (group 2) (n=9) from a local secondary school's first and second team, was followed for a full competitive season by a trained Biokineticist, who was present at all the games and contact sessions played. All vMTBI and MTBI and the severity of these injuries were documented. A control (group 3) that consisted of 10 secondary school non-rugby players were compared with the vMTBI and MTBI groups. The incidence of repeated MTBI and vMTBI in a secondary school rugby team were gathered by questionnaires and observation next to the field by a trained Biokineticist. Pre-season and post-season neuropsychological tests were conducted on the research groups and the control group. The neuropsychological tests that were conducted on the three groups were the Colour Trial Test 1 and 2 (CTT 1 + 2), the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R) and the Standardised Assessment of Concussion (SAC). After each match played throughout the season the research group also completed a SAC test. The academic results of the final examination (year 1) of the year of the specific rugby season were obtained, as well as the academic results of the final examination of the preceding two years (year 2 and 3). The programme STATISTICA (version 7.0, Stat soft, Tulsa, OK) was used to analyse the data. Descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA's, two-way repeated measures ANOVA's, Post-hoc Tuckey HSD analysis and Pearson's product moment correlation were used for all the statistical analyses. Results - This study of a secondary school rugby team has shown 726 vMTBI's and 18 MTBI's throughout one rugby season. This relates to 1951 vMTBI's per 1000 player hours and 48 MTBI's per 1000 player hours. Reductions in delayed memory (p=O.O1)from preseason to post-season in a group of players with repetitive vMTBI's during a single rugby season were found. This was the first evidence of possible neurocognitive deficits towards delayed memory in very mild traumatic brain injuries at secondary school level. Statistically significant (p<=0.05)results of the SAC test totals between both the vMTBI and MTBI groups were documented in the different games throughout the rugby season and compared with the baseline test. No statistically significant differences (p<=0.05) between the pre-season and post-season's scores of the SAC test totals were documented. A decrease in academic performance in the subject Afrikaans (year 1 compared with year 2) with a p-value of p=O.O17(group 1) and p=O.O16(group 2) respectively was found. Conclusion - The findings of this study indicate a high incidence of vMTBI in a cohort of secondary school rugby players in one season, a statistically significant reduction (p=O.O1 )in delayed memory of the vMTBI rugby players and a statistically significant decrease in academic performance p=O.O17 (group 1) and p=O.O16 (group 2) in the subject Afrikaans from year 1 to year 2 final examinations. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Human Movement Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

No description available.

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are a major health and socioeconomic problem throughout the world, with an estimated 10 million deaths and instances of hospitalization annually. Numerical methods such as finite element (FE) methods can be used to study head injuries and optimize the protection, which can lead to a decrease in the number of injuries. The FE head models were initially evaluated for biofidelity by comparing with donated corpses experiments. However, there are some limitations in experiments of corpses, including material degradation after death. One feasible alternative to evaluating head models with living human tissue is to use reconstruction of real accidents. However, the process of accident reconstruction entails some uncertainties since it is not a controlled experiment. Therefore, a deeper understanding of the accident reconstruction process is needed in order to be able to improve the FE human models. Thus, the aim of this thesis was to evaluate and further develop more advanced strategies for accident reconstructions involving head injuries. A FE head model was used to study head injuries in accidents. Existing bicycle accident data was used, as were hypothetical accident situations for cyclists and pedestrians. A FE bicycle helmet model having different designs was developed to study the protective effect. An objective method was developed based on the Overlap Index (OI) and Location Index (LI) to facilitate the comparison of FE model responses with injuries visible in medical images. Three bicycle accident reconstructions were performed and the proposed method evaluated. The method showed to have potential to be an objective method to compare FE model response with medical images and could be a step towards improving the evaluation of results from injury reconstructions. The simulations demonstrated the protective effect of a bicycle helmet. A decrease was seen in the injurious effect on both the brain tissue and the skull. However, the results also showed that the brain tissue strain could be further decreased by modifying the helmet design. Two different numerical pedestrian models were compared to evaluate whether the more time-efficient rigid body model could be used, instead of a FE pedestrian model, to roughly determine the initial conditions as an accident reconstruction involves some uncertainties. The difference, in terms of the head impact location, rotation and velocity, attributable to the two models was in the same range as differences due to uncertainties in some of the initial parameters, such as vehicle impact velocity. / <p>QC 20150414</p>

Introduction-Physical activity can reduce the risk of contracting many of the 'diseases of the sedentary', such as coronary heart disease and cancer (Blair et al., 1996). Recognition of this protective effect has led to the development of many programmes designed to promote the benefit of participation in sport and physical exercise (Hillary Commission, 1993; Nicholl et aI., 1995). With participation in sport, especially contact sport, the risk for injuries increases, including injuries to the head and neck (Wilberger, 1993; Wekesa et al., 1996; Pettersen, 2002). Mild traumatic brain injuries (MTBI) or concussion as used interchangeably in the literature (Maroon et al., 2000; Wills & Leathem, 2001) are an important public health concern, due to the high incidence and frequently persisting symptomatology (Evans, 1992). Mild traumatic brain injury is defined as a complex patho-physiological process affecting the brain induced by traumatic biomechanical forces (Aubry et al., 2002; McCrory et al., 2004). A sub-concussive injury or very mild traumatic brain injury (vMTBI) may be defined as an apparent brain insult with insufficient force to cause hallmark symptoms of concussion (Jordan, 2000; Webbe & Bath, 2003). The high incidence of sport related head injuries in South Africa is alarming, although the prevalence thereof is unknown and difficult to assess, as the seemingly trivial injuries frequently remain unreported (Roux et al., 1987). This is especially applicable in sport where a milder form of head injury is common. This is cause for concern as cumulative head injuries traditionally regarded as trivial or 'minor' may result in players running the risk of increasingly negative consequences following repetitive 'minor' head injuries. In contact sport such as rugby, players are at great risk of sustaining repetitive mild traumatic brain injuries. The negative outcome following these repetitive minor head injuries has been demonstrated by numerous studies on boxers and other athletes exposed to repeated MTBI and vMTBI (McLatchie et aI., 1987). The incidence of vMTBI has not yet been researched in school rugby and this study is the first to report the incidence of vMTBI in a secondary school rugby team. Obiectives - The objectives of this study were to determine the incidence, the neuropsychological consequences and the effect on the academic performance of repeated mild (MTBI) and very mild traumatic brain injuries (vMTBI) in a secondary school rugby team during one playing season. Methods - A cohort of 35 secondary school male rugby players divided into a vMTBI (group 1) (n=26) and a MTBI (group 2) (n=9) from a local secondary school's first and second team, was followed for a full competitive season by a trained Biokineticist, who was present at all the games and contact sessions played. All vMTBI and MTBI and the severity of these injuries were documented. A control (group 3) that consisted of 10 secondary school non-rugby players were compared with the vMTBI and MTBI groups. The incidence of repeated MTBI and vMTBI in a secondary school rugby team were gathered by questionnaires and observation next to the field by a trained Biokineticist. Pre-season and post-season neuropsychological tests were conducted on the research groups and the control group. The neuropsychological tests that were conducted on the three groups were the Colour Trial Test 1 and 2 (CTT 1 + 2), the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R) and the Standardised Assessment of Concussion (SAC). After each match played throughout the season the research group also completed a SAC test. The academic results of the final examination (year 1) of the year of the specific rugby season were obtained, as well as the academic results of the final examination of the preceding two years (year 2 and 3). The programme STATISTICA (version 7.0, Stat soft, Tulsa, OK) was used to analyse the data. Descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA's, two-way repeated measures ANOVA's, Post-hoc Tuckey HSD analysis and Pearson's product moment correlation were used for all the statistical analyses. Results - This study of a secondary school rugby team has shown 726 vMTBI's and 18 MTBI's throughout one rugby season. This relates to 1951 vMTBI's per 1000 player hours and 48 MTBI's per 1000 player hours. Reductions in delayed memory (p=O.O1)from preseason to post-season in a group of players with repetitive vMTBI's during a single rugby season were found. This was the first evidence of possible neurocognitive deficits towards delayed memory in very mild traumatic brain injuries at secondary school level. Statistically significant (p<=0.05)results of the SAC test totals between both the vMTBI and MTBI groups were documented in the different games throughout the rugby season and compared with the baseline test. No statistically significant differences (p<=0.05) between the pre-season and post-season's scores of the SAC test totals were documented. A decrease in academic performance in the subject Afrikaans (year 1 compared with year 2) with a p-value of p=O.O17(group 1) and p=O.O16(group 2) respectively was found. Conclusion - The findings of this study indicate a high incidence of vMTBI in a cohort of secondary school rugby players in one season, a statistically significant reduction (p=O.O1 )in delayed memory of the vMTBI rugby players and a statistically significant decrease in academic performance p=O.O17 (group 1) and p=O.O16 (group 2) in the subject Afrikaans from year 1 to year 2 final examinations. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Human Movement Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.