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Healthcare
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Concussion Characteristics, Recovery Patterns, and Care Strategies
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Concussion Characteristics, Recovery Patterns, and Care Strategies

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032). This special issue belongs to the section "Chronic Care".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 13 August 2027 | Viewed by 1799

Editor

Dr. Louise A. Kelly

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Exercise Science Department, California Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks, CA 93065, USA
Interests: concussion; mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI); care
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over the last decade, concussions have become one of the most urgent and visible public health issues in sport, military, and school settings. Our science and practice on the topic are better informed than ever before, yet remain lacking in critical areas related to injury onset, natural history, and post-injury care, particularly in women athletes, military service cadets, and those with neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., ADHD).

For this Special Issue of Healthcare, we aim to assemble state-of-the-art contributions related to concussion characteristics and care with a particular focus on multidimensional assessment, population-specific recovery patterns, and psychosocial and physiological moderators. Leveraging evidence from longitudinal studies such as the NCAA-DoD CARE Consortium, this Issue will include translational and clinical contributions that move the field forward in sports medicine, rehabilitation, and neuropsychology.

We invite original research articles, systematic reviews, and brief reports that address concussion-related topics such as baseline testing, neurocognitive test validity, symptom trajectories, return-to-learn/play frameworks, and novel care models, among others. In addition, contributions that focus on underserved or underrepresented populations are highly encouraged.

We look forward to your submissions.

Dr. Louise A. Kelly
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • concussion
  • mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI)
  • collegiate athletes
  • military service cadets
  • sex differences in recovery
  • neurocognitive assessment
  • return-to-play protocols
  • ADHD and baseline testing
  • post-concussion outcomes

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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19 pages, 1477 KB  
Systematic Review
A Systematic Review of Peer-Reviewed Studies on Preventing Sport-Related Concussion (SRC) in Adult Football (Soccer): Mapping Sparce Evidence of Rule Changes and Head-Neck Training
by Sonya Moore, Teale Vella, Jessica Norton, Kai Lin Foong, Mitchell Barbara, Chris Musgrave, Kuan-Yin Lin and Jennifer R. A. Jones
Healthcare 2026, 14(9), 1200; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14091200 - 29 Apr 2026
Viewed by 616
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Acute health impacts and longer-term sequelae of sport-related concussion (SRC) are recognized concerns in football (soccer), warranting investigation of interventions to reduce the incidence. The purpose of this study was to identify, synthesize and evaluate interventions used in preventing sport-related concussion [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Acute health impacts and longer-term sequelae of sport-related concussion (SRC) are recognized concerns in football (soccer), warranting investigation of interventions to reduce the incidence. The purpose of this study was to identify, synthesize and evaluate interventions used in preventing sport-related concussion (SRC) in adult soccer players. Methods: Five databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, SPORTDiscus, PsycINFO) were searched on 6 September 2024 and updated on 17 December 2025 for concussion prevention intervention studies involving adult footballers. Study quality was assessed with the Modified Downs and Black Checklist. A narrative synthesis of all included studies followed Synthesis Without Meta-Analysis (SWiM) guidelines. Results: From 3463 records, five studies met inclusion criteria: three reported rule changes and two reported head-neck training interventions. The low volume of studies discovered were non-randomized and rated fair or poor on quality assessment. Whilst these interventions were grounded in sound and well-reasoned mechanisms to mitigate SRC risks, none reported statistically significant directional effects. This, combined with high heterogeneity, prevented data pooling and no firm conclusions could be drawn about the effectiveness of any intervention. Conclusions: Sparce, preliminary, heterogeneous evidence represents research to reduce SRC in adult soccer players, and this is limited to investigating rule changes and head-neck training and interventions. A larger volume of primary research is needed to determine meaningful practice recommendations of these and other conceivable interventions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Concussion Characteristics, Recovery Patterns, and Care Strategies)
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27 pages, 669 KB  
Systematic Review
Biomarkers and Psychological Factors Associated with Distress in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults Undergoing MRI Neuroimaging: A Systematic Review of Observational Studies with Clinical Recommendations
by Guillermo Ceniza-Bordallo, Ana Belén del Pino, Dino Soldic and Angel Torrado-Carvajal
Healthcare 2026, 14(9), 1160; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14091160 - 25 Apr 2026
Viewed by 682
Abstract
Introduction: Distress during pediatric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) neuroimaging can compromise scan quality and negatively impact children’s experiences. This review aimed to systematically synthesize biomarkers and psychological factors associated with distress in children, adolescents, and young adults undergoing neuroimaging. Methods: This [...] Read more.
Introduction: Distress during pediatric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) neuroimaging can compromise scan quality and negatively impact children’s experiences. This review aimed to systematically synthesize biomarkers and psychological factors associated with distress in children, adolescents, and young adults undergoing neuroimaging. Methods: This systematic review was conducted according to PRISMA and AMSTAR-2 guidelines and preregistered in OSF. A systematic search was performed in six electronic databases, including observational articles published between 2000 and 2025 that assessed distress during MRI and functional MRI (fMRI). Data extraction and risk of bias assessment (QUIPS tool) were performed independently by two reviewers. Results: Ten studies (n = 558) examining distress during neuroimaging were included in this review. Distress was assessed through subjective self- and parent-reports, objective physiological measures, and qualitative interviews. Overall, distress levels were low to moderate; most participants tolerated scans well, though younger age, male sex, parental anxiety, procedure length, and chronic illness were associated with greater discomfort. Noise, immobility, and boredom emerged as the most frequent triggers, while strategies such as distraction, age-appropriate information, and reducing waiting times were perceived as helpful. Among participants with cancer, scan-related anxiety was closely linked to fear of recurrence and perceived stress. Risk of bias across studies was moderate to high, particularly in domains of attrition and statistical reporting. Conclusions: Distress during scanning is driven by anticipatory and parental anxiety, procedure length, and chronic illness. Biomarkers (e.g., cortisol, blood pressure) showed inconsistent links with subjective distress, highlighting the need for integrated measures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Concussion Characteristics, Recovery Patterns, and Care Strategies)
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