Sport, Concussion and Brain Injury Research at NTU

Researchers from across NTU are conducting world leading research focusing on sport, concussion and brain injuries. While this work draws on contributions from across schools, academic disciplines and approaches to delivering science, the network of NTU scholars is drawn together around two simple premises. Firstly, that by reducing the amount of trauma that is caused to the brain we can contribute to reducing the short- and long-term suffering that occur because of collisions, tackles, hits and falls, in many in many of the most popular sports. And, secondly, that by helping shift sports in such directions, we are actively working to ensure that engaging in the enjoyable physical activity associated with sport can help present and future children, sports persons and athletes’ flourish. Such a focus drives our work, shapes our research culture and sits at the foundation of the thought leadership which springs from our institution.

Focus on chronic traumatic encephalopathy and neurological decline in athletes

We are currently delivering work which focuses on the experience of living with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, young onset dementia, and neurological decline associated with a life time playing sports, identifying biomarkers to identify those at risk of long-term health issues following head injury and characterising the incidence and burden of head injury in professional and amateur sport. Our work is supported by the Foundation for the Sociology of Health and Illness, Academy of Medical Sciences, The Royal Society, ALS Association, the US Department of Defence, Foundation for Neurofeedback and Neuromodulation Research, UEFA and the FA. This shows the diversity of our interests in this topic at NTU as well as our commitment approaching sport, concussion and brain injuries in a rounded way which captures the social-psychological, alongside the biological, neurological and material, consequences of impact to the brain.

Community Engagement

We actively engage with local and national groups to ensure our research is shaped, delivered and spread in partnership with various communities. This includes our existing work with Dementia UK, the Concussion Legacy Foundation UK, British Cycling and local groups such as Trent Dementia, NCCC and Forget Me Notts.

Advancing postgraduate research

Our work in this area occurs across all levels of academia, with a vibrant post-graduate research community of Masters and PhD students often producing insightful and novel work. This includes projects on concussion surveillance, understanding electrophysiological brain changes following head impacts and how policy and practice is/isn’t ‘filtering down’ to amateur sport. Our post-doc colleagues are working on projects that focus on concussion biomarkers, concussion surveillance in English Football, and the experience of living with dementia in former professional athletes.  We are also led by senior Professors such as Prof Angus Hunter and A/Prof Ian Varley who are delivering funding work supported by US Department of Defence and FA Respectively. Hunter who is working with industry partners and engineers in miniaturising accelerometer technology in affordable models for accessibility for grassroot players. Hunter and Varley are examining feasibility of measuring electrical brain alterations during head impacts real time.