Progress and Future Directions of the NCAA-DoD Concussion Assessment, Research, and Education (CARE) Consortium and Mind Matters Challenge at the US Service Academies

Abstract

Despite the significant impact that concussion has on military service members, significant gaps remain in our understanding of the optimal diagnostic, management, and return to activity/duty criteria to mitigate the consequences of concussion. In response to these significant knowledge gaps, the US Department of Defense (DoD) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) partnered to form the NCAA-DoD Grand Alliance in 2014. The NCAA-DoD CARE Consortium was established with the aim of creating a national multisite research network to study the clinical and neurobiological natural history of concussion in NCAA athletes and military Service Academy cadets and midshipmen. In addition to the data collected for the larger CARE Consortium effort, the service academies have pursued military-specific lines of research relevant to operational and medical readiness associated with concussion. The purpose of this article is to describe the structure of the NCAA-DoD Grand Alliance efforts at the service academies, as well as discuss military-specific research objectives and provide an overview of progress to date. A secondary objective is to discuss the challenges associated with conducting large-scale studies in the Service Academy environment and highlight future directions for concussion research endeavors across the CARE Service Academy sites.

Association Between Symptom Burden at Initiation of a Graduated Return to Activity Protocol and Time to Return to Unrestricted Activity After Concussion in Service Academy Cadets

“…The structure and procedures of the CARE Consortium have been described previously. 9,23 The following is a summary of the procedures as they pertain to the current analysis. At the baseline assessment, all CARE participants provided basic demographic and medical history information, including sex, varsity sport status (ie, varsity or nonvarsity), and site.…”

Cavitation in blunt impact traumatic brain injury

“…However, in this century, evidence that mild TBIs can accelerate (Brett et al 2022 ) or initiate (McKee et al 2015 ) neurodegeneration has prompted alarm about mild TBI patients, who far outnumber moderate and severe TBI patients. The National Football League (NFL), the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and the Department of Defense in the US have invested heavily in understanding the biomechanics and pathology of mild TBI (Houston et al 2020 ; Pellman 2003 ). Rapid progress has been made in how helmets are tested (Rowson & Duma 2011 ) and designed (Diekfuss et al 2021 ) to minimize the risk of concussion.…”

Used vs Preferred Dissemination Channels and Implementation Strategies for Concussion/mTBI Resources in Military Primary Care

“…Of high interest is the need for dissemination and implementation of return to duty guidelines to mitigate long-term symptom sequela of concussion. The NCAA-DOD Grand Alliance and the NCAA-DOD Care Consortium was established in 2014 with the primary aim of creating a national research network to conduct concussion research and study best practices in the sport and military communities [24]. This has focused research efforts on improving the care of service members and establishing guidelines for the use of standardized clinical assessments for concussion patients.…”