While brain injury prevention in sports has largely focused on concussions, a groundbreaking study revealed that the development and severity of CTE are associated with the duration of play and the cumulative force of all repetitive head impacts.

In a study researchers found that after a single collegiate football game, which involves repetitive head hits (RHHs), changes to glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) correlated with head impact exposure and reduced brain white matter integrity in 30 football players two days later.

A study of rates and mechanisms of head contact and suspected concussions in youth basketball found a lack of fouls called for head contacts during the game, despite contact to the head being illegal in basketball.

A team of experts argues that the term “subconcussive” should be replaced by the term “non-concussive” when referring to head impacts.

A study found that athletes who used cannabis regularly had better eye focus ability and lower levels of brain inflammation compared to the non-cannabis group after repetitive subconcussive head impacts.

A study published in The Journal of Neuroscience found that in mice, memory loss after being subjected to a high frequency of mild head impacts was linked to a deficiency in synaptic plasticity rather than “a loss of neural infrastructure.” There is the possibility that “cognitive impairment caused by head impact” could be clinically reversed.

A study in Neurology Advisor found that for active and retired professional fighters exposed to repetitive head impacts, blood plasma measurements of the biomarkers GFAP and NfL “may help identify those who are at risk for progressive regional brain atrophy and cognitive decline.”

A recent study presented at the Radiological Society of North America found a significant decline in the microscopic structural integrity of brain tissue and a decline in verbal learning performance for young adult amateur soccer players who performed a high number of headers over two years.

Is the Q-Collar effective at concussion prevention, and is it safe? The FDA summary states that the Q-Collar was not approved to prevent concussions and there are some risks to the device.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently acknowledged that there is a causal link between repeated blows to the head and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

According to The Guardian, the Rugby Football League (RFL) has approved the use of mouthguards that could detect whether a player is at risk for a concussion. The mouthguards were trialed by the Leeds Rhinos, an English Rugby team, and will be deployed next season. The guards can measure the force of collisions experienced by players.