09 Jan 2025
First patients scanned in new study investigating traumatic brain injury in young athletes
Researchers at The Podium Institute for Sports Medicine and Technology, within the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, have recruited their first participants for a new study exploring the impact of head injuries on the brains of 11 to 18-year-olds using cutting-edge neuroimaging techniques
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Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and long-term disability in young people. However, research in this area remains limited in particular due to a paucity of data concerning head injuries sustained by the young population. An innovative longitudinal study designed and conducted by The Podium Institute is harnessing advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques to uncover why some children recover worse than others after they have sustained a head injury, for instance through playing sport.
In emergency departments, clinical assessments such as computerised tomography (CT) scans focus on detecting life-threatening injuries. However, many children with a normal-looking CT scan still experience lasting symptoms, highlighting that important aspects of brain injury may be missed on standard imaging.
Using advanced MRI techniques, this new study will explore various aspects of brain damage, including injury to nerve fibres, disruptions in brain metabolism, and changes in functional connectivity between brain regions. These sophisticated neuroimaging measures will be combined with cognitive testing along with self- and parent-reported information on head injuries. The aim is to identify key MRI biomarkers that can reliably predict both clinical recovery and sports-related outcomes, such as time to return to sport.
Mr Tim Lawrence, consultant paediatric neurosurgeon and one of the study's lead researchers, explained, “With growing concern regarding a potential link between mild or repetitive traumatic brain injury and long-term cognitive difficulties or even early dementia, there is a pressing need to identify the types of traumatic injuries that may pose a risk. Our study is a step towards better understanding of the mechanisms that underpin damage to the brains of children and adolescents suffering injury.”
Approximately 30–50% of reported head injuries occur in young people1, and these injuries are linked to an increased risk of conditions including neurodegenerative disease2. However, conventional assessment methods have proven inadequate for accurately diagnosing and analysing brain injuries.
Professor Natalie Voets, another of the study's lead authors, commented: “Despite the potentially important long-term effects, paediatric head injury has remained heavily understudied. We’re deeply indebted to the Podium Institute and our collaborating clinical and sports teams for their enormous support in helping to make this challenging research possible”.
To date, a limited number of studies using advanced MRI have begun to reveal why some individuals experience more severe symptoms or slower recovery, even when standard brain scans show minimal injury. However, many questions remain unanswered, highlighting the urgent need for further research to deepen our understanding of the evolution of TBI over time and its long-term impact on young brains.
Professor Constantin Coussios, Director of the Podium Institute and Director of the Institute of Biomedical Engineering remarked, “Given the focus of the Podium Institute on the youth, community and female sports, we are proud that our first clinical study addresses a key unmet need in the diagnosis and evaluation of head injuries in children and young persons. We hope to uncover clinically relevant imaging markers that will turn a difficult-to-see condition into one that can be diagnosed more confidently, and to help clinicians, parents and coaches predict how well a child will recover after a head injury.”
Over the next 2.5 years, the study hopes to scan a total of 60 patients and 60 controls who are 11- to 18-years of age and regularly take part in sports. This will include young people with both recent and past injuries. If you are interested in taking part, please contact izabelle.lovgren@ndcn.ox.ac.uk for further information about the study.
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK592586/?report=printable#cha.lt228
