# Behavioral- and bio-markers of subconcussion with controlled human head impact

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE · 2021 · $635,540

## Abstract

The long-term goals of this project are to determine how repeated, subclinical brain stress may lead to
clinically significant brain damage, and to use this knowledge to prevent cumulative neurological
disability. Sub-concussion is an under-recognized phenomenon, in which cranial impact does not lead
to clinical symptoms, but when repeated frequently, can cause measurable neurological dysfunction in
athletes and others engaged in activities that introduce mild mechanical stresses to the brain. Little is
known about how brain tissue injury develops and resolves at the cellular level in these cases because
no individual episode of physical trauma is sufficiently strong enough to cause outwardly observable
concussion symptoms. Such sub-concussive blows occur frequently during the course of normal play
(blocking in football, heading in soccer, etc.). However, without obvious clinical signs, underlying
neurological damage goes unnoticed, players return to play and damage can accumulate over time.
The proposed project is based on the premise that mild mechanical impact introduces brain stress
unobservable by self-examination, or common diagnostics, but detectable by specialized behavioral
tests and cutting-edge extracelluar vesicle analysis techniques. Such techniques could determine
when it is safe or dangerous to resume the activity. Using soccer heading to induce mild mechanical
stress on brain tissue, we have established an innovative human experimental paradigm that is
indicative of commonly experienced stress levels during sports/recreational activities. With this
paradigm, we will develop new tools to characterize the neurological effects of sub-concussive impact.
In Aim 1, we will quantify behavioral effects of mild head impact using sensitive measures of postural
stability during standing and walking. In Aim 2, we will determine a circulating molecular pattern of
subconcussive head injury using an innovative technique for blood brain barrier- and CNS cell-derived
microvesicle profiling. In Aim 3, we will identify a unique microRNA signature of subconcussive head
impact in circulating exosomes using cutting-edge sequencing technology. The proposed study is
innovative because it will introduce an entirely new dimension to the pathophysiology of
subconcussive head impact. Results of this project will potentially lead to the development of innovative
behavioral and molecular diagnostic tools to assess risk of cumulative brain injury.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10237247
- **Project number:** 5R01NS102157-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE
- **Principal Investigator:** JOHN Joseph JEKA
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $635,540
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-09-28 → 2024-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10237247

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10237247, Behavioral- and bio-markers of subconcussion with controlled human head impact (5R01NS102157-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10237247. Licensed CC0.

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