A Comparison of Traditional and Computerized Neuropsychological Assessment of Athletes Prior to and Following Cerebral Concussion
Grant Agency: Pennsylvania State University, Department of Psychology
Funding Dates: present
Participating Institution: Pennsylvania State University, Department of Psychology
Authorship: Ruben J. Echemendia, Ph.D.
Project Description: xx

Grant Agency: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Funding Dates: 9/1/03-8/31/08
Participating Institution: The grant will be spear-headed by Dr. Mark Stevenson of the University of Sydney in cooperation with Drs. Collins and Lovell of the UPMC Sports Concussion Program
Authorship: Stevenson, Lovell, Collins
Project Description: This five year grant will examine baseline and post-concussion ImPACT functioning in approximately 75 high school and club rugby teams in Sydney and Melbourne. Goals of the grant are to examine the epidemiology of concussion in this population, as well as to examine recovery of injury, as well as risk factors for poor outcome. Dr. Collins will travel to Sydney in June 2004 to train project investigators in the proper implementation of ImPACT.

Grant Agency: Department of Neurosurgery and Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical C
Funding Dates: Feb 2001-Present
Participating Institution: Department of Neurosurgery and Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Authorship: Marion DW, Lovell MR, Collins MW, Boada F, Stenger VA, Field M, Becker J, Fu F, Maroon J, Eddy W.
Project Description: Grant funded by National Institutes of Health (NINDS) for $2.8 million over a five year funding cycle. This project will assess the relationship between fMRI activation patterns and pre-post cognitive functioning, as measured by ImPACT, in a group of high school and college-aged concussed athletes. ImPACT is a 25 minute computerized battery of neuropsychological measures developed by our group to specifically assess sports-related concussion.

Grant Agency: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Funding Dates: 10/01/03 - 09/31/07
Participating Institution: Dr. Gerry Gioia of the Children? National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. in cooperation with Drs. Lovell and Collins of the UPMC Medical Center in Pittsburgh and Dr. Peter Isquith of Dartmouth University.
Authorship: Gioia, Lovell, Collins, Isquith
Project Description: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is among the most common injuries in children. Each year more than one million children are estimated to sustain a traumatic brain injury with the majority of these injuries in the mild range. To date, little effort has been directed towards the systematic study of short- and long-term outcome in this group. More severe brain injury has been studied extensively with regard to both structural brain changes and cognitive, behavioral, and social-emotional outcome. Little systematic research has been done, however, to document the recovery process following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) in younger children. A number of factors are presumably responsible for the current lack of knowledge regarding prevalence and longer-term outcome in children and adolescents with mTBI. First, there has been a lack of appropriate assessment tools to capture the nature and severity of the impairments, particularly in younger children. Second, follow-up studies have utilized variable and/ or inconsistent timelines for post-injury follow-up, which has clouded understanding of the recovery process. Third, there has been significant variability in the definition of mTBI both within sports and within the mTBI literature in general. Fourth, the influence of age, sex and premorbid cognitive or behavioral history such as learning disabilities (LD) and attentional disorders (ADHD) on outcome is poorly understood. Finally, the role of familial influences that may promote or interfere with faster or more complete recovery has yet to be elucidated. This research proposal aims to address these factors explicitly in the development and validation of appropriate measures of both short and long-term outcome in children with mTBI. The major goal of this proposed research is to develop a psychometrically-sound test battery for children aged 6-18 years that is easily administered, portable, and repeatable while sensitive in detecting and monitoring neurocognitive and behavioral outcomes of mTBI in children and adolescents.

Grant Agency: UPMC
Funding Dates: July 1996- Present
Participating Institution: Over 75 Division I, II, and III colleges and universities nationally
Authorship: Lovell, Maroon, Collins
Project Description: Responsible for the design, management, and implementation of a clinical/research project utilizing neuropsychological measures (ImPACT) to assess baseline and post-concussion cognitive and symptom functioning. Over 10,000 athletes currently participating. The protocol is also used to provide information on cognitive and self-report 'recovery curves' to help determine readiness for competition following sports-related concussion.