Novel Concussion Biomarker Paves Way for New Diagnostic Tool
Researchers led by Thomas Bottiglieri and his team at Columbia University Irving Medical Center have identified a novel biomarker linked to head/neck/gaze instability (a subtle proprioceptive signal) that appears consistently in patients with more severe concussion symptoms, addressing limitations of current symptom-based assessments. By using an eye-tracking headset coupled with a machine-learning algorithm trained on data from over 200 patients (including controls), they developed a software tool (named “ProScope”) that quantifies head/neck/gaze motion to detect the signature biomarker with ~80-90 % sensitivity. This approach promises a more objective, measurable diagnostic metric for concussion—moving beyond self-reported symptoms and clinical observation—and could enable earlier, more precise decisions about injury management, athletic return, or retirement from sport.
The Psychological Burden of Retirement from Sport
The authors review how retirement from athletics — particularly when it is involuntary (due to injury, illness, deselection, etc.) — poses significant psychological risks for collegiate and elite athletes. They highlight that while sports participation offers physical and mental benefits, the abrupt or unplanned end of a sporting career can lead to issues such as identity loss, depression, and anxiety. The review outlines a decision-making algorithm for clinicians faced with helping athletes transition out of sport, and advocates for early educational and support-program interventions to ease the career transition and reduce long-term psychological harm.
Medical retirement from sport after concussions: A practical guide for a difficult discussion
The authors examine the challenging decision of medically retiring athletes from sport following concussion, noting the profound health, identity and psychosocial implications of ending a sports career prematurely. They review ten detailed case vignettes reflecting varied scenarios—such as persistent symptoms, radiographic evidence of brain injury, reduced injury threshold, or complex athlete motivations—and propose a structured decision-making algorithm to guide clinicians in discussions around return to sport versus retirement. Key considerations include athlete age, symptom duration and severity, prior injury history, neurologic findings, and non-medical factors such as athlete identity, financial implications and uncertainty about long-term risk. The paper emphasizes the need for nuanced, individualized discussions that balance athlete autonomy with long-term health risk, and underscores the lack of a one-size-fits-all rule in concussion retirement decisions.
