Assessment of Multiple Concussive Athletes with Dual Task Triple Stroop and Aerobic Exercise

BACKGROUND: Athletic concussion testing has mostly recently relied on a sedentary computer neurocognitive test battery called the Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT). Previous tests directly compare baseline with post-concussion analysis of patient in regards to different cognitive aspects including; working memory, processing speed, and response time. No physical tests are included in the ImPACT analysis for return-to-play action. PURPOSE: In previous studies from our lab in these populations we concluded that the combination of a physical neural impediment with cognitive tests (dual-task with balance impairment) created a greater degree of impairment not observed in the sedentary ImPACT test. However, changes in the Post-concussed group were significant but not statistically significant in the participants with 5 or more concussions without a concussion diagnosed in the past month. Thus we hypothesized that increasing the degree of neural impediment with exercise at a moderate workload during treadmill exercise while completing a neurocognitive test (Triple Stroop) would show a higher cognitive impairment in the Post-concussed participants. METHODS: In this test participants were asked to come back to the lab within a week of completing their hour long cognitive battery to assess potential neurocognitive deficits of post concussive symptoms similar to our previous work. During the follow-up visit that participants completed the battery of Triple Dual Task Stroop while on a treadmill. After a brief 4 minute walking warm up, participants were tasked with increasing their speed in one minute speed increases until they reached their age and resting heart rate calculated 60% of heart rate reserve. At that point they were given a random sequence from the 4 possible patterns of the Triple Stroop 120 question cognitive test which asks the shape, color of the work, the word color, and/or the color of the shape. RESULTS: Of those who participated in the study (9 non-concussed and 7 multi-concussed) there is significant differneces in the cognitive deficites between the two groups of control and multi-concussed tested. However, there is a time deficit on average in the multi-concussed group, 108 seconds to complete as opposed to the non-concussed (84 sec) In addition the number of correct per minute was higher in the control than the multi-concussed group.DISCUSSION: These results have shown that it takes multi-concussed participants a greater time to process the cognitive testing while having the distraction of a physical test. The ultimate concern associated with the cognitive and reaction time deficits can be that atheltic trainers and/or coaches are allowing their athletes to participate in the event placing the athlete at a greater risk for additional head injury in sports with higher incidence of concussion including football, basketball, soccer and hockey. In addition to testing non-concussed and multi-concussed athletes, we aim to conduct the procedure on those who are recently diagnosed as post-concussed to determin whether a more appropriate field test like the Triple Stroop would show a more sensitive assessment of cognitive deficit in sports concussion protocols

Surficial Geologic Map of the Flaherty 7.5-Minute Quadrangle, Kentucky

The Flaherty 7.5-minute quadrangle is located southwest of Louisville and northwest of Elizabethtown along the boundary between Hardin and Meade Counties. The quadrangle includes mostly the Pennyroyal region of the Mississippian Plateau and also smaller areas of the Mammoth Cave plateau and the highly dissected Dripping Springs escarpment in the western half of the map area (McDowell, 1986). Topography is mostly characterized by pervasive sinkhole development in a lower elevation and low-relief plain, and high-relief plateaus, ridges, and knobs of the Dripping Springs escarpment scattered along the west side of the quadrangle. Swadley (1963) mapped the bedrock geology of the quadrangle, which was later digitized by Crawford (2002). Mississippian bedrock is exposed throughout the quadrangle and is cut by several normal faults in the south. The St. Louis Limestone and overlying Ste. Genevieve Limestone are the oldest and lowest (stratigraphy and elevation) map units in Flaherty, and underlie the Pennyroyal region. The higher elevation landforms characterizing the Dripping Springs escarpment are predominantly underlain by the Paoli Limestone, Beaver Bend Limestone, and Sample Sandstone, from oldest to youngest respectively. The Mooretown Formation is stratigraphically above the Paoli Limestone and below the Beaver Bend Limestone, and is only exposed along Sand Ridge, a prominent landform in the quadrangle trending northeast to southwest. Previously mapped surficial deposits include alluvium in Otter Creek, Flippin Creek, and a large karst basin, and “slumped sandstone” (colluvium) along Sand Ridge and other smaller areas throughout the quadrangle (Swadley, 1963)

Surficial Geologic Map of the Big Clifty 7.5-Minute Quadrangle, Kentucky

The Big Clifty 7.5-minute quadrangle is located south of Louisville and west of Elizabethtown along the boundary between Hardin and Grayson Counties. The quadrangle lies within the Mammoth Cave plateau of the Mississippian Plateau physiographic region (McDowell, 1986). Topography is characterized by a low relief plain sitting at elevations between 650 to 850 ft above sea level, which is dissected and incised by Rough River, Meeting Creek, Clifty Creek, and their tributaries to below 500 ft. Swadley (1962) mapped the bedrock geology of the quadrangle, which was later digitized by Conley (2002). Mississippian bedrock is exposed throughout the quadrangle and is cut by several vertical faults in the southeast. The oldest bedrock units include the Beaver Bend and Paoli Limestones, Sample Sandstone, and Reelsville Limestone from oldest to youngest, respectively, and are exposed in the lowest sections of river valleys on the west side of the quadrangle. The Golconda Formation (Beech Creek Limestone, Big Clifty Sandstone, and Haney Limestone Members) is primarily exposed along steep slopes of those same river valleys, which lead up to the top of the plateau. The majority of the broad Mammoth Cave plateau is underlain by Hardinsburg Sandstone with local exposures of Glen Dean Limestone and Leitchfield Formation occurring in the southwest corner of the quadrangle. Previously mapped surficial deposits include scattered areas of alluvium in Meeting Creek, Little Meeting Creek, and Clifty Creek (Swadley, 1962)

Surficial Geologic Map of the Summit 7.5-Minute Quadrangle, Kentucky

The Summit 7.5-minute quadrangle is located south of Louisville and west of Elizabethtown along the boundary between Hardin and Grayson Counties and within the Mississippian Plateau physiographic region (McDowell, 1986). Topography is characterized by the low relief Pennyroyal region that sits at elevations between 560 to 650 ft above sea level, the low relief Mammoth Cave plateau at elevations between 750 to 900 ft, and the steep Dripping Springs escarpment that separates the two plains. Moore (1964) mapped the bedrock geology of the quadrangle, which was later digitized by Conley (2002). Mississippian bedrock is exposed throughout the quadrangle and is cut by several vertical faults. The St. Louis Limestone and overlying Ste. Genevieve Limestone underlie the Pennyroyal region and are the oldest bedrock units in the quadrangle. The Beaver Bend and Paoli Limestones, Sample Sandstone, Reelsville Limestone, and Beech Creek Limestone Member of the Golconda Formation are exposed along the Dripping Springs escarpment. The Mammoth Cave plateau region is underlain by the Big Clifty Sandstone and, locally, Haney Limestone Members of the Golconda Formation east of the Summit Fault, and Hardinsburg Sandstone west of the fault. Previously mapped surficial deposits include minor areas of alluvium in tributaries across the Summit quadrangle, and areas of “slumped sandstone” (colluvium) in the Pennyroyal region (Moore, 1964)

Surficial Geologic Map of the Millerstown 7.5-Minute Quadrangle, Kentucky

The Millerstown 7.5-minute quadrangle is located south of Louisville and southwest of Elizabethtown along the boundaries between Hardin, Grayson, and Hart Counties and within the Mississippian Plateau physiographic region (McDowell, 1986). Topography is characterized by the low relief Pennyroyal plain that sits at altitudes below about 650 ft above sea level, the low relief Mammoth Cave plateau at altitudes above about 650 ft, and steep slopes of and isolated knobs of the incised Dripping Springs escarpment that separates the two plains. Moore (1965) mapped the bedrock geology of the quadrangle, which was later digitized by Johnson (2006). Mississippian bedrock and local areas of Pennsylvanian bedrock are exposed throughout most of the quadrangle, all, of which, are cut by several vertical faults. The Ste. Genevieve Limestone is the oldest lithology and underlies the Pennyroyal region in the northeast and southwest corners of the quadrangle, and locally along the Nolin River. The Beaver Bend Limestone, Mooretown Formation, Paoli Limestone, Sample Sandstone, and Reelsville Limestone stratigraphic sequence underlie most of the remaining Pennyroyal plain and several steep slopes of the Dripping Springs escarpment. The Beech Creek Limestone, Big Clifty Sandstone, and Haney Limestone Members of the Golconda Formation are exposed along the Dripping Springs escarpment the edges of the Mammoth Cave plateau region. Most of the Mammoth Cave plateau is underlain by the Hardinsburg Limestone, and, locally in the southwest corner of the quadrangle, the Glen Dean Limestone, Leitchfield Formation, and Pennsylvanian Caseyville Formation. Previously mapped surficial deposits include minor areas of alluvium in tributaries across the Millerstown quadrangle (Moore, 1964)

Baseline and Post-concussive Neurocognitive and Physiological Assessments in Minor Student Athletes

BACKGROUND: There is a higher risk of post-concussion syndrome among minor athletes. This has resulted in The Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT), which is currently the primary test for collegiate and high school athletes for concussion assessment and return to play. Previous work from our lab has indicated a significant detection of cognitive deficit with a battery of cognitive testing including the Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA) and dual task testing incorporating balance testing along with the Stroop and number recall. In the previous findings these tests identified cognitive decline including reaction time and fine motor deficiencies either not tested by the ImPACT or determined non-deficient in the Post-concussive participants already determined fit to return to play. However the results from the ImPACT are variable and may not be sensitive enough to detect the same abnormalities in younger minor patients. PURPOSE: To determine whether there is a significant difference in neurocognitive function between prepubescent and pubescent minor students age 10-18 during our battery of cognitive testing and if there is a greater decline in function in young minor athletes. Additionally we aimed to compare baseline and post-concussed minors in order to determine whether mild traumatic brain injury causes a change in neurocognitive abilities. METHODS: Participants were asked to perform the measurements of the SCAT 3, the dual task Stroop, Minnesota Spatial Recognition (MSR) test, the Perdue Peg Board (PPB), a Reaction Time test (RTT) using a weighted dowel, and the administration of the TOVA to assess the Attention Comparison Score: a composite cutoff score comparing the subject’s performance to a study of independently diagnosed ADHD individual. RESULTS: Significant declines between the minor concussed and controls were found in the incorrect answers during the Stroop and the follow-up balanced dual task Stroop, Hopkins Verbal Learning Task, dominant right hand RTT, and MSR time and increasing errors for both hands. When comparing the pubescent and pre-pubescent boys control groups there is a significant negative scoring in pre-pubescent scores on left had RTT, Stroop errors, PPB mistakes, MSR mistakes and time, Dual-task Stroop balance error and number balance correction foot taps. Finally, the TOVA Attention Comparison Score in the concussed versus non-concussed minors indicates a significant difference with the concussed indicating symptoms of moderate ADHD. CONCLUSION: The complexities of a large cognitive battery for assessing concussive symptoms for return to play protocols for the minor athletes have been shown in the results from this study. As hypothesized the hour long battery indicates a broad area of significant identification markers of neurocognitive and neurophysiological dysfunction compared to non-concussed. The tests also reveal the difficulties in assessing concussive symptoms in minor athletes as there are a large number of differences in the battery between pre-pubescent and pubescent children

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness Attenuation by Acute Consumption of Essential Amino Acids

BACKGROUND: Essential amino acids have been known to be necessary for protein nutrition whether they are obtained by eating proteins or by a formula of the essential amino acids. Studies have consistently demonstrated the acute benefits of protein supplementation on post-exercise muscle anabolism, which may facilitate the recovery of muscle function and performance. However, when protein supplements have been provided in research studies, acute changes in post-exercise protein synthesis and anabolic intracellular signaling have not resulted in measureable reductions in muscle damage and enhanced recovery of muscle function. PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to implement a specific content of essential amino acid supplements combined with a resistance and aerobic exercise routine and quantify the difference in strength, endurance and flexibility, during the time commonly associated with delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), between the first and last days of exercise. METHODS: In this study, 24 participants (12 EAA and 12 Controls) completed an exercise routine (sit and reach, shoulder flexibility distance, Maximum Voluntary Contraction Isometric Handgrip, 20 meters sprint (timed), push-ups (reps), 5 minutes rest (¼ bottle consumption of drink), chin-ups (reps) or flexed arm hang (time), 5 minutes rest (¼ bottle consumption of drink), dips (rep), 10 minute rest (¼ bottle consumption of drink), and a 1.5 mile run) for three consecutive days. At the end of first and last exercise visit, a venipuncture was performed to measure Creatine Kinase levels to be later measured by a commercial ELISA kit. The study participants were randomly assigned to either the EAA (6.6g) per day (EAA + Gatorade) group or the control (Gatorade) group. The study design is a double blind as neither the recording analysis researchers or study participants were aware of the assigned group. RESULTS: Both groups maintained the initial flexibility respectively throughout the three days of exercise. However, the EAA group randomly was more flexible (p\u3e0.05 Sit and Reach) at the first visit. For the resistance/power activities, the EAA group improved over the three day in the repetitions for push-ups and dips compared to the controls and from day 1. The control group had no significant change from day 1 to 3 in dips and chin-ups. The EAA group was faster in the 20-meter sprint and 1.5 mile run on the last day of exercise compared to the first while the control group was slower ; however, both group’s changes were not significant. CONCLUSIONS: The EAA group had an improvement over the three days of exercise compared to the placebo group. The data given in the results supports the initial claim that acute ingestion of this amino acid supplement provides increased athletic performance in sedentary participants as well as decreases the DOMS symptoms accompanied with the commencement of a new exercise regime. Research reported in this publication was supported by a research contract with Calwood Nutritionals

Gridmapping the northern plains of Mars: Geomorphological, Radar and Water-Equivalent Hydrogen results from Arcadia Plantia

A project of mapping ice-related landforms was undertaken to understand the role of sub-surface ice in the northern plains. This work is the first continuous regional mapping from CTX (“ConTeXt Camera”, 6 m/pixel; Malin et al., 2007) imagery in Arcadia Planitia along a strip 300 km across stretching from 30°N to 80°N centred on the 170° West line of longitude. The distribution and morphotypes of these landforms were used to understand the permafrost cryolithology. The mantled and textured signatures occur almost ubiquitously between 35° N and 78° N and have a positive spatial correlation with inferred ice stability based on thermal modelling, neutron spectroscopy and radar data. The degradational features into the LDM (Latitude Dependent Mantle) include pits, scallops and 100 m polygons and provide supporting evidence for sub-surface ice and volatile loss between 35-70° N in Arcadia with the mantle between 70-78° N appearing much more intact. Pitted terrain appears to be much more pervasive in Arcadia than in Acidalia and Utopia suggesting that the Arcadia study area had more wide-spread near-surface sub-surface ice, and thus was more susceptible to pitting, or that the ice was less well-buried by sediments. Correlations with ice stability models suggest that lack of pits north of 65-70° N could indicate a relatively young age (~1Ma), however this could also be explained through regional variations in degradation rates. The deposition of the LDM is consistent with an airfall hypothesis however there appears to be substantial evidence for fluvial processes in southern Arcadia with older, underlying processes being equally dominant with the LDM and degradation thereof in shaping the landscape

Two--magnon scattering and the spin--phonon interaction beyond the adiabatic approximation

We consider a model of Raman scattering for a two--dimensional $S=1/2$ Heisenberg Anti-Ferromagnet which includes a {\it dynamical} spin--phonon interaction. We observe a broadening of the line shape due to increased coupling with excited high--energy spin states. Our results are close to a model of random static exchange interactions, first introduced in this context by Haas {\it et al.} [J. Appl. Phys. {\bf 75}, 6340, (1994)], which, when extended to large numbers of spins, explains experiments in the parent insulating compounds of high-$T_c$ superconductors.Comment: 14 pages (revtex format), 8 postscript figure

Synthesis of deuterium-labelled analogues of NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitor MCC950

This study describes the syntheses of di, tetra and hexa deuterated analogues of the NOD-like receptor pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome inhibitor MCC950. In di and tetra deuterated analogues, deuteriums were incorporated into the 1,2,3,5,6,7-hexahydro-s-indacene moiety, whereas in the hexa deuterated MCC950 deuteriums were incorporated into the 2-(furan-3-yl)propan-2-ol moiety. The di deuterated MCC950 analogue was synthesised from 4-amino-3,5,6,7-tetrahydro-s-indacen-1(2H)-one 5. Tetra deuterated analogues were synthesised in 10 chemical steps starting with 5-bromo-2,3-dihydro-1H-inden-1-one 9, whereas the hexa deuterated analogue was synthesised in four chemical steps starting with ethyl-3-furoate 24. All of the compounds exhibited similar activity to MCC950 (IC50 = 8 nM). These deuterated analogues are useful as internal standards in LC-MS analyses of biological samples from in vivo studies