Graduation Date

Spring 2018

Document Type

Thesis

Program

Master of Science degree with a major in Kinesiology, option Exercise Science

Committee Chair Name

Justus Ortega

Committee Chair Affiliation

HSU Faculty or Staff

Second Committee Member Name

David Baston

Second Committee Member Affiliation

HSU Faculty or Staff

Third Committee Member Name

Elizabeth Larson

Third Committee Member Affiliation

HSU Faculty or Staff

Keywords

S100B, Concussion, Rugby, Collegiate Sport, ELISA, Saliva, S100Beta, Concussion diagnostics

Subject Categories

Kinesiology

Abstract

Sport related concussions are among the top ten most common sport injuries. Substantial and mounting evidence points to extensive short and long term negative consequences from mismanaged sport related concussions. Consequently, researchers have called for better diagnostic concussion tests that are rapid, reliable, sensitive, specific and objective. The purpose of this research was to determine the ability of salivary S100B to detect concussions, predict concussion symptom resolution time, and correlate with changes in neurocognitive performance over the course of one athletic season. A repeated measures of salivary S100B and neurocognitive performance using the ImPACT test and a concussion symptom questionnaire among collegiate male and female rugby athletes was proposed. An insufficient number of concussions were reported (n=1) to perform the original statistical analyses proposed. Alternatively, community baseline values were compared to athlete baseline values to validate previous research, trends (baseline averages compared to post practice and post-game), and a case study of the sole concussion were performed. Efforts to collect further neurocognitive data were abandoned as they weren’t able to provide any insight into trends etc. The results of the independent t-test support previous research that rugby athletes have significantly higher baseline values of S100B than non-rugby population. An increase in averages from baseline to post practice and post-game were noted. There has a notable increase from baseline to post injury for the participant who reported a concussion, although no statistical significance could be determined.

Citation Style

APA

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