Concussion Research

Concussion Center Research

Approximately ninety percent of individuals who experience a concussion will recover and regain normal neurocognitive and motor functioning within a few months to a year; however, about 10 percent of concussed individuals do not return to their pre-concussion levels of functioning. Currently, there are no methods available to accurately predict who will recover from a concussion and who will not. To understand this difference in post-concussion recovery and to develop new predictive methods, Dr. Schulz and Dr. Hunter worked with colleagues at UTHealth to form the Concussion Center research program. One method currently being investigated at the Concussion Center is high-field-strength Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), which provides a clearer picture into the brain processes and changes that occur after a concussion.

 

Sports Related Concussion, Emotional Distress, and Hypothalamic Hormone Levels in Female Adolescent Athletes following Sport Related Concussion

The goal of this study is to understand why young, female athletes have worse outcomes after concussion than their young, male counterparts. Our hypothesis is that hormone levels at the time of concussion affects outcomes. This study is being conducted as part of the Concussion Center research initiative. The primary investigator for this study is UTHealth’s Dr. Summer Ott; Dr. Schulz serves as a co-investigator for this study.