IU School of Medicine has a long and successful history of advancing medical research in the area of concussion and other traumatic brain injury. Currently, this work centers on the school’s leadership of the Concussion Assessment, Research and Education (CARE) Consortium, established to serve as the scientific and operational framework for the Concussion Research Initiative of the Grand Alliance. This consortium is committed to conducting research with the utmost rigor and with strong attention to and adherence with regulatory and ethical obligations.
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Indiana University Changing Lives through Research: Concussions
Indiana University athletes, researchers, doctors and trainers are working together to protect against the risk of concussion as part of the CARE Consortium, the world's largest investigation into the condition. A $30 million effort funded by the NCAA and U.S. Department of Defense, the project has already enrolled over 30,000 student-athletes and military cadets from 30 universities and military academies.
Research Objectives
Create a national, multi-site consortium as a sustainable framework to achieve the clinical and scientific priorities of the Concussion Research Initiative of the Grand Alliance: The CARE Consortium serves as the scientific and operational framework for the Concussion Research Initiative of the Grand Alliance. CARE is committed to conducting research with the utmost rigor and with strong attention to and adherence with regulatory and ethical obligations. This core is led by Thomas McAllister, MD, Albert E. Sterne Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Indiana University School of Medicine.
Conduct a prospective, longitudinal, multi-center, multi-sport investigation that delineates the natural history of concussion in both men and women by incorporating a multi-dimensional assessment of standardized clinical measures of post-concussive symptomatology, performance-based testing for cognitive function and postural stability, and psychological health: The Longitudinal Clinical Study Core (CSC) expands upon the existing NCAA National Sport Concussion Outcomes Study, a multi-site, longitudinal investigation of concussive and repetitive head impacts in NCAA student athletes to develop and implement a multi-year, multi-institution perspective, clinical longitudinal phase-in research protocol aimed at the study of the natural history of concussion. The CSC serves as the foundation for the development of additional research projects. This core is led by Steven Broglio, PhD, ATC, Associate Professor of Kinesiology and Director of the Neurosport Research Laboratory at the University of Michigan.
Utilize the framework from AIM 2 to conduct advanced scientific studies which integrate biomechanical, clinical, neuroimaging, neurobiological and genetic markets of injury to advance the understanding of neurophysiological effects and recovery after sport-related concussion in college athletes: The Advanced Research Core (ARC) elevates existing collaborative research networks to conduct advanced research projects including, but not limited to, impact sensor technologies, advanced neuroimaging, biological markers, and comprehensive clinical studies to inform the neurobiopsychosocial understanding of sports-related concussions. The ARC builds upon the CSC, allowing for the advanced research projects with the same foundational baseline and post-concussive clinical data. This core is led by Michael McCrea, PhD, ABPP, Professor and Eminent Scholar, Vice Chair of Research, and Director of Brain Injury Research in the Department of Neurosurgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin.