Effects of Soccer Heading on Ocular-motor Function and Blood Biomarker

Completed · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Trauma, Head

In brief

Repetitive head impacts in sports and military may cause deleterious effects in the nervous system. Investigators' previous works in football players have shown promising results in prediction of concussion and prevention of long-term defect using eye-movement paradigm (ocular-motor system) and blood biomarker. However, acute head impact effects on aforementioned parameters remain unknown. Thus, to answer a critical research question that whether or not ocular-motor system and brain-derived blood biomarker may be acutely altered following 10 successions of controlled soccer heading. To answer the question, investigators hypothesized that acute bout of soccer heading will not elicit noticeable change in subject's symptoms but to induce a transient defect in the ocular-motor system and increase plasma expression of brain-derived biomarker.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT03488381

Run by

Indiana University

People needed

45

Starts

2017-08-01

Expected to finish

2019-04-09

Last updated by the study team

2019-04-17

Who can join

Age: 18 and older, up to 26. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• For Soccer Cohort
• being between 18 to 26 years of age
• an active member of a soccer team (i.e., collegiate, intramural, club, professional)
• at least 5 years of soccer heading experience.
• For non-Athletic Control Cohort
• Being between 18 to 26 years of age
• Have never played organized sports
• Have never been diagnosed with a concussion

You may not qualify if…

• For both Soccer and Non-Athletic Control cohorts
• any head, neck, or face injury in the 1 year prior to the study (e.g., concussion, eye injury);
• history of vestibular, ocular, or vision dysfunction (e.g., macular degeneration)
• currently taking any medications affecting balance (e.g., antibiotics)
• pregnancy
• HIV
• any neurological disorders (e.g., seizure disorders, closed head injuries with loss of consciousness greater than 15 minutes, CNS neoplasm, spinal cord injury/surgery, history of stroke)
• hypertension, cardiac arrhythmia, or pulmonary disease
• lower extremity injury that would prohibit normal walking
• metal implants in the head
• implantation of cochlear device, cardiac pacemaker, medical fusion device, intracardiac lines, or neurostimulator (e.g., DBS, epidural/subdural VNS)
• history of severe injury to the bones, joints, or muscles in either arm
• Session-specific exclusion criteria will include:
• slept less than 4 hours before the 1st and 2nd test day (verified by the TMS screening questionnaire)
• drank more than 3 alcoholic drinks or used recreational drugs 24 hours before the 1st and 2nd test day
• drank more than 3 cups of coffee in an hour before test sessions
• glasses are prohibited (contact lens are okay) for safety purpose for the heading intervention

Where it is running

• Indiana University — Bloomington, Indiana, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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