Sweat and Blood Lactate

Although not related to concussion, the Sports-related Traumatic Brain Injury Lab is also interested in metabolism, particularly in the production of lactate. Lactate is produced during glycolysis and can be used as an indicator of exercise intensity.

Current Research:

We are working on a research protocol to determine if blood lactate and sweat lactate are correlated during cycling exercise. This research is also investigating if sweat lactate can be used to monitor exercise intensity. Data collection is currently in progress.

Concussion and Return to Learn

We are developing a survey to assess student athlete and non-student athlete experience in navigating college after suffering a concussion. The hope of this research is to better aid students in returning to the classroom after a concussion and also assisting faculty members in accommodating students in their classes who have suffered a concussion. Data collection is in progress.

Concussion Recovery

Recovering from concussion is a waiting game. Most individuals diagnosed with concussion are told by medical professionals to rest until they are symptom free. The exception to this are athletes who typically follow a return to play protocol involving exercise, overseen by an athletic trainer. Other therapies designed for concussion recovery are being developed but are expensive. We are currently working on a scoping review to determine gaps in the literature of yoga and meditation research on concussion recovery. This review will aid in the design of a research study investigating the ability of yoga and/or meditation to heal the brain following concussion.