The Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academies of Science,
will probe sports-related concussions in young people from elementary
school through early adulthood. According to the Institute of Medicine website, a committee “will conduct a study on sports-related concussions in youth, from elementary school through young adulthood, including military personnel and their dependents.”
The brief statement added, “The committee will review the available literature on concussions, in the context of developmental neurobiology, in terms of their causes, relationships to hits to the head or body during sports, and the effectiveness of protective devices and equipment. The committee will also review concussion risk factors, screening and diagnosis, treatment and management, and long-term consequences.”
Robert Graham, head of the panel carrying out the study and a public health expert at George
Washington University in Washington, told Reuters that the panel likely would submit its report
to the Institute of Medicine in the middle of the summer, with
publication expected in late 2013. The study is expected to be extensive.
“You
start talking about, Is it safe for Sally to be playing soccer?, you
get lots of public interest,” Graham told Reuters after the committee’s
first meeting on Monday.
Sponsors of the study include the Department of Defense, the CDC and the National Institutes of Health. The panel will also examine studies being done by the CDC and the American Academy of Neurology.
