Correlation between ImPACT reaction time and CRTT efficiency score in concussed athletes

The management of sports related concussion is dependent upon a standardized assessment. Reaction time is the most sensitive measure of a concussion when using the ImPACT battery, which was standardized on concussed athletes. However, an athlete’s auditory comprehension is rarely assessed systematically. Auditory comprehension status is important in properly managing concussed athletes. The Computerized Revised Token Test (CRTT) measures efficiency time. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the correlation between the ImPACT reaction time and the CRTT-Subtest VIII efficiency score in 51 concussed athletes. These two measures are statistically significantly correlated. Clinical implications are discussed

Relationship between the Romberg Test and the Wii Basic Balance Test and Cognition in Athletes with Concussion

Background: Approximately 30% of individuals with a sport-related concussion present with postural instability. Multiple clinical balance tests exist to diagnose postural instability; yet little is known about the potential relationship between these type of postural assessments and cognition post-concussion. Aim: The purpose of the current study was to assess the relationship between the Romberg test, the Wii Fit basic balance test (WBBT), and the composite scores on the Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) test in a sample of athletes with concussions. Methods: 55 post-concussed athletes (40 male) completed the Romberg Test (RT) (−/+), the WBBT, and ImPACT test. Wii Fit basic balance test performance was operationalized as the number of successfully completed trials (of 5 trials of increasing difficulty) within 30 seconds. Pearson’s and point-biserial correlations examined univariate associations among the variables. Results: The RT and WBBT were not significantly related (r = −0.029, p = 0.832). The RT weakly correlated with ImPACT impairment scores (r= 0.26, p= 0.041), whereas WBBT the number of trials did not (r = − 0.20, p = 0.155). Romberg Test scores were significantly correlated with ImPACT Visual Processing Speed Score (r = 0.27, p = 0.036) and Reaction Time score (r = 0.34, p = 0.006). In contrast, WBBT trials were significantly correlated with the ImPACT Visual Memory Score (r = − 0.41, p = 0.003). Conclusions: These results suggest that the WBBT and RT assess unique aspects of postural control. The RT may relate directly to single sensory cognitive and motor processing, while the WBBT may relate to multi-sensory visually driven cognitive and motor processing. Relevance for patients: Clinical balance tests could point to different cognitive impairments post-concussion

Eagle Space Flight Team – Electronics Team

The Eagle Space Flight Team was created with the goal of becoming the first undergraduate team to design, build, and launch a rocket capable of suborbital spaceflight. To accomplish this task, the team is broken down into multiple sub teams, each focused on a specific aspect of research. The Electrical sub-team’s concentration is on the development of an avionics package for a suborbital rocket. The requirements of the avionics package include main and drogue parachute deployment, the transmission of telemetry data, sensor data logging and a real time vehicle performance model as part of a ground station. The drogue and main parachute deployment is vital to mission success as errors or miscalculations may cause catastrophic failure of the vehicle. The transmission of telemetry data, specifically GPS location data, is vital to vehicle recovery. Finally, data logging of sensor data will be used to provide sub teams with vehicle performance data as feedback for future designs. Over the next few years, the Electrical team will continue to improve the avionics package and design a ground station that will display a 3D model of the rocket in real time. Additional future goals include live video feed during the flight, custom rocket ignition system and redundant telemetry systems to improve the reliability of the avionics package. Poster Presentation and Demonstration IGNITE GRANT AWAR

A Regulated Complex of the Scaffolding Proteins PDZK1 and EBP50 with Ezrin Contribute to Microvillar Organization

We characterize a ternary complex of PDZK1, EBP50, and ezrin that is regulated by their individual inter- and intramolecular interactions. PDZK1 is shown to undergo cell confluence-dependent nucleocytoplasmic shuttling that regulates the formation of this complex. A functional redundancy between PDZK1 and EBP50 in microvilli maintenance is shown