Clinical trial NCT02442882: The Acute Effect of Boxing on Balance, Neuropsychological, and Visual Functions
Official title: The Acute Effect of Boxing on Balance, Neuropsychological, and Visual Functions
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Conditions: Craniocerebral Trauma
Keywords: Brain Concussion
Balance
Locomotion
Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Lead sponsor: Boston Children's Hospital
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2015-05-13
Enrollment: 61
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 40
Standard ages: ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Observational model: COHORT
Time perspective: PROSPECTIVE
Sampling method: NON_PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: Patients will be recruited from those who are participating at a boxing tournament.

Brief summary: Prior research has investigated the effect of repetitive head trauma as it relates to physiological and psychological function. Boxing is one particular sport which predisposes athletes to a large amount of head impacts. We plan to assess the effects of a boxing tournament on balance, neuropsychological, and visual functions.

Detailed description: This is a prospective, repeated measures cohort study, which is able to make within-subject (pre and post boxing tournament) comparisons on measures of physiologic and behavioral function.

We plan to enroll boxing athletes who are participating in a boxing tournament. Each individual will be assessed on the following tests: balance (dynamic and static balance), vestibular-ocular motor function, neuropsychological function, and symptoms. Additionally, each boxing match will be video recorded and the total number of head impacts they sustain will be documented.

* In order to prospectively assess how a boxing tournament affects balance, neuropsychological, and visual functions from pre-tournament assessments to post-tournament assessments (Specific Aim 1), we plan to test all athletes before competition at the Pan-American games begins (pre-test) and after they have been eliminated from the tournament (post-test).
* In order to measure the associations between the number of head blows sustained during a boxing tournament with balance, neuropsychological, visual, and symptom deficits, we will also use a video camera to record each match and count the total number of hits to the head.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

1. Participation in boxing at a pre-specified tournament
2. Medically cleared to participate in the tournament, as determined by the attending medical staff

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Any pre-existing neurological disorder, including but not limited to stroke, intracranial hemorrhage, any movement disorder, and cerebral palsy.
2. Any currently active psychiatric condition, including specifically major depression, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. A history of a psychiatric condition but no ongoing psychiatric episode (e.g. not currently undergoing treatment for a major depressive episode) would not be an exclusion.
3. Any unstable medical condition

Primary outcomes:
measure: Balance Control
timeFrame: 1 week
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Neuropsychological function
timeFrame: 1 week
measure: Visual function
timeFrame: 1 week
Other outcomes:
Locations:
Study officials:
affiliation: Boston Children's Hospital
name: William P Meehan III, MD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Howell DR, Meehan WP 3rd, Loosemore MP, Cummiskey J, Grabner von Rosenberg JP, McDonagh D. Neurological tests improve after Olympic-style boxing bouts: a pretournament and post-tournament study in the 2016 Women's World Boxing Championships. Br J Sports Med. 2017 Sep;51(17):1279-1284. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2016-097160. Epub 2017 May 13.