Dear parents of Brighton HS varsity football players,
We are doing a research study to determine how playing football affects young people’s brains. This study will help us understand the smaller hits that don’t cause concussions, and it might help to make football safer to play. In this study, we will track how well your brain performs before and after each football season. You will wear a football helmet that records how hard and how often your head gets hit while you play football. The helmet will feel the same as a regular helmet and will look the same from the outside. If your helmet detects a big hit, your athletic trainer or another staff member will check you to see if you have a concussion, just like if someone saw you take a big hit. If you are thought to have a concussion, we will check you in our clinic.
You will also come to our clinic one time before and one time after each football season. During those visits, you will do several tests of brain function. None of the tests will hurt, and they each look at different things. The tests will involve showing your strength and coordination, answering questions, playing a card game on the computer, concentrating and paying attention, solving puzzles, and demonstrating your balance. One of the tests, called an EEG, will involve wearing a cap on your head that doesn’t hurt but measures your brain waves while you listen to noises through headphones.
I am interested, what should I do?
1. Linked here is the informed consent. Please review this, but do NOT sign it ahead of time.
2 - Schedule your appointment by calling 248-485-7025 and identify yourself as a BHS Varsity Football player. This preliminary clinic visit will take approximately 3.5 hours, and must be conducted before August 4.
- A parent MUST accompany any player under 18 years of age who is new to this study for the first 30 minutes of the appointment to sign necessary study paperwork.
- If the player was enrolled in the study during the 2016 Varsity BHS football season, a parent does not need to re-sign the documents, and the player may attend the preliminary visit alone.
Please contact our offices with any questions.
Sean C. Rose, MD
Director of Clinical Research and Regional Director
The Sports Neurology Clinic
at The CORE Institute™
T: 248.485.7045 • F: 866.939.2673
