Author Archives: amaerlender

Qmetis Blog by A. Maerlender: https://www.qmetis.com/the-challenge-of-concussion-care/ 11 Jan The Challenge of Concussion Care Media attention on concussions has raised the profile of this frequent injury. But because the underlying biological pathophysiology is not clearly defined, progress has been slow in defining the critical features, course, and prognostic signs. Variability in diagnosis and treatment becomes a rate-limitingContinue reading “The Challenge of Concussion Care”

Prior to appropriate clinical considerations below, consider the following minimum criteria: 20 days after last positive test No current symptoms such as runny nose, sneezing, coughing, etc. (other than associated with longstanding allergies) 72 hours fever free without help from fever-reducing medications (actual guideline is 24-hours but err on the safe side) Beyond the pointContinue reading “Recommendations for re-testing following COVID infection”

Recommendations for Sports Concussion Baseline and Post-injury Testing posted Summer 2020 During COVID-19 Pandemic* *assuming resumption of contact sports As close in time as possible to the assessment, all athletes should be tested for the presence of COVID-19 (not the antibody test).  While this does not prevent someone from getting the virus, it will helpContinue reading “Concussion testing during COVID”

Study Abstract and Opinion ABSTRACT Associations of Apolipoprotein E ε4 Genotype and Ball Heading With Verbal Memory in Amateur Soccer Players JAMA Neurol. 2020;77(4):419-426. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2019.4828 Published online January 27, 2020. Liane E. Hunter, PhD; Yun Freudenberg-Hua, MD; Peter Davies, PhD; Mimi Kim, PhD; Richard B. Lipton, MD; Walter F. Stewart, PhD, MPH; Priyanka Srinivasan, BS;Continue reading “Associations of Apolipoprotein E ε4 Genotype and Ball Heading With Verbal Memory in Amateur Soccer Players”

Finding a Biomarker of Concussion Finding a biomarker has been the holy grail of concussion research. Without an accurate biomarker we are left with using subjective symptoms and relatively weak objective tests of the functional response to concussion as our means for diagnosing and determining recovery. Recently McCrea et al found that a combination ofContinue reading “Finding a Biomarker of Concussion”

We note a high percentage of athletes who come to a post-injury assessment after 7 or less hours of sleep.  Limited sleep can interfere in assessment results whether injured or not.  Sleep may be one of the most important treatments to aid in recovery of concussion; however, there are several issues to consider.  Sleep inContinue reading “Sleep & concussion”

FEBRUARY 10, 2018  Limiting Head Impacts Among Youth Is Smart, Overstating Scientific Consensus Is Not Jason Chung (+cosignees) On January 18, 2018, an article by Dr. Lee Goldstein of Boston University and colleagues in Brain, a leading neurological journal, was released and touted as proving the link between subconcussive hits to the head and chronicContinue reading “Limiting Head Impacts Among Youth Is Smart, Overstating Scientific Consensus Is Not”

Mapping brain recovery after concussion: From acute injury to 1 year after medical clearance Nathan W. Churchill, PhD, Michael G. Hutchison, PhD, Simon J. Graham, PhD, and Tom A. Schweizer, PhD Neurology® 2019;93:e1980-e1992. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000008523 This study confirms long-term changes in brain function 1-year post “clearance” from concussion.  Using multi-method imaging, and comparing to a controlContinue reading “Mapping brain recovery after concussion”