World-Renowned Concussion Researchers, NFL and NHL Athletes and Team Doctors Discuss Latest in Prevention, Treatment and Return-to-Play Evaluation

Pittsburgh, July 18, 2002 -- As thousands of high school, college and professional football players across the country begin their pre-season practice sessions in late July, more than 25 of the world's leading experts in sports concussion will meet in Pittsburgh to discuss concussion, an injury that will affect roughly 10 percent of those football players during the upcoming season.

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Health System's second annual sports concussion conference, "New Development in Sports-Related Concussion," will be Friday, July 19, through Sunday, July 21, at the Westin Convention Center, downtown Pittsburgh.

More than 250 sports medicine and family practice physicians, athletic trainers, psychologists, neuropsychology clinicians and coaches will gather to learn the latest on how to prevent and treat sports concussion, as well as evaluate the short- and long-term effects of concussion and return-to-play status of concussed athletes. Concussion occurs when a person's brain is violently rocked back and forth inside the skull due to a blow to the head or body.

Concussion can disturb brain activity and symptoms may include disorientation, confusion, dizziness, amnesia, uncoordinated hand-eye movements and sometimes unconsciousness. Severe concussion, although rare, can lead to brain swelling, cell and blood vessel damage and even death.

"The most critical issue with sports concussion has been our ability to objectively evaluate the effects of the injury and definitely know when it is safe for an athlete to return to play because concussion symptoms are not always definite and straightforward," said Mark Lovell, Ph.D., conference director and world-renowned neuropsychologist and sports concussion researcher who directs the UPMC Health System Center for Sports Medicine's Sports Concussion Program.

"Allowing enough healing and recovery time following a concussion is absolutely crucial in preventing more serious long-term injury that a second concussion may bring. Research has shown that the effects of repeated concussions are cumulative," said Dr. Lovell.

"Recent advances in neuropsychological evaluation methods and functional brain imaging technology are beginning to help sports medicine professionals gain more knowledge and better understanding of the effects of concussion," added Dr. Lovell, who is also the director of neuropsychological testing for the National Football League (NFL) and National Hockey League (NHL), and director of concussion testing for Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) and the Indianapolis Racing League.

Conference speakers will address not only football, but also other sports with high incidence of concussion, including ice hockey, soccer and motor sports.

Highlighted topics and presenters will include:

• Newest advances in diagnostic functional brain imaging - Melvin Field, MD, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine;
• What we are learning with computer-based concussion evaluation in high school and college athletes - Michael Collins, PhD, assistant director of UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine;
• Concussions in motor sports - Steven Olvey, MD, medical director of CART, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Miami;
• Concussions in soccer - Sheldon Jordan, MD, UCLA and USC Neurology;
• Neuropsychological testing in sports - Dr. Lovell;
• Rehabilitation of the concussed athlete - Ross Zafonte, MD, chairman of physical medicine and rehabilitation at UPMC Rehabilitation Hospital;
• On-the-field management of head and spine injuries - John Norwig and Rob Blanc, certified athletic trainers for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pittsburgh Panthers, respectively;
• Concussion management update from the NFL - Andrew Tucker, MD, NFL subcommittee on mild traumatic brain injury and Baltimore Ravens team physician;
• Concussion management update from the NHL - Charles Burke III, MD, director of NHL Concussion Program, Pittsburgh Penguins team physician and orthopaedic surgeon at UPMC St. Margaret Hospital;
• Professional athlete/team physician panel discussion on concussion management - The panel will include former NFL quarterback Mike Tomczak, current Steelers tight end Mark Bruener and other professional football and hockey players as well as UPMC/Steelers team medical physician Anthony Yates, MD, team neurosurgeon Joseph Maroon, MD, team orthopaedic surgeon Craig Bennett, MD, and UPMC/Panthers team orthopaedic surgeon Patrick McMahon, MD

UPMC's Sports Concussion Program, established in September 2000 under Dr. Lovell's direction, focuses on the diagnosis, evaluation and management of sport-related concussions in athletes of all levels.

With colleagues at UPMC and the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Dr. Lovell developed the first computerized neuropsychological testing system to evaluate the severity of concussion and more accurately determine when an athlete can safely return to sports following a concussion. The system is called ImPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing). During the past several years, ImPACT's use among professional, college and high school sports teams and other athletic organizations has grown rapidly around the world.

For more information on the conference, including a detailed conference agenda and how to register, please visit http://www.impacttest.com.