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Every year, nearly 2.5 million U.S. high school athletes participate in contact sports. Each of these athletes sustains an average of 650 subconcussive head impacts in a single season, hits that can negatively affect brain health.
A $2.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health will help researchers at Indiana University determine whether, and to what extent, repetitive subconcussive head impacts impacts that do not trigger clinically detectable signs and symptoms of concussion negatively affect brain health in adolescents. If applied repeatedly, subconcussive impacts can trigger subclinical cellular and molecular disruptions in brain cells. Ultimately, the IU research will help establish safety guidelines for young athletes exposed to head impacts.