Assessing the Effects of Photobiomodulation on Clinical Recovery From Concussion in Adolescents

Assessing the Effects of Photobiomodulation on Clinical Recovery From Concussion in Adolescents

The purpose of this study is to compare effects of Photobiomodulation therapy (PBMt) to standard of care in adolescent athletes at risk for delayed recovery from subacute sports concussion, to substantiate the impact of subacute PBMt over time on functional and structural connectivity of the brain using advanced MRI sequences and to correlate the psychological and behavioral outcomes to neuroimaging findings

Inclusion Criteria:

• current participants in a school- or club-sponsored sport (contact or non-contact)
• access to wireless internet service at home
• diagnosis of sports-related concussion (SRC) (according to consensus diagnostic criteria) by a licensed healthcare provider,3-7 days from the concussive injury at the time of enrolment
• considered at-risk for protracted recovery based on Immediate Post-concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) performance and symptom reporting on the Post-Concussion Symptom Scale (PCSS)

Exclusion Criteria:

• acute neurologic deterioration to a Glasgow Coma Scale score less than 13
• neurosurgical intervention
• abnormal CT scan
• concomitant extracranial injury worse than mild
• pre-injury conditions which confound effects of SRC (e.g., epilepsy, schizophrenia, bipolar illness, mental deficiency, hospitalization for TBI)
• substance dependence
• inability to speak fluent English
• Individuals who are taking benzodiazepines, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers, stimulants, opioids, sleep aids, or other neuropsychiatric medications