Wednesday, August 22, 2018

Two-year, $510,000 grant lets Wake Forest, Winston-Salem State continue concussion studies


Winston-Salem State University

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- A two-year grant worth about $510,000 will let Wake Forest and Winston-Salem State universities continue taking part in an NCAA and U.S. Department of Defense concussion study begun in 2016.

The universities were among the original 13 participating institutions, a field that has since expanded to 30.

The NCAA-Department of Defense Concussion Assessment, Research and Education Consortium studies concussions and repetitive head impacts on student athletes. The Department of Defense study is examining the same effects on service members.

Work began in 2016 to establish baseline data through screenings of athletes and cheerleaders and then to track them through follow-up evaluations for anyone who might have suffered a concussion. Researchers are collecting saliva samples of people with and without concussions to determine if there is any difference in their DNAs.

Wake Forest's Dr. Christopher Miles and WSSU's Dr. Laura Linter –– both are sports medicine physicians and assistant professors –– have led the study for their universities.

Winston-Salem State University, in addition to being the only historically black college or university to participate in the study, fields 10 varsity teams across the sphere of Division II sports.


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