Dr Tom Owens has been selected for an oral presentation at the 6th International Consensus Conference on Concussion in Sport, which will be held in Amsterdam between October 27th-28th. The conference is the largest in the field and is used to establish our current understanding of concussion in sport, alongside setting the recommendations for practice for the next four years.

Tom's presentation is titled ‘Recurrent concussion in retired rugby union players; decreased nitric oxide bioactivity, cerebral hypoperfusion and cognitive impairment.’ This research sought to determine blood and brain based biomarkers associated with concussion history and their implications on cognitive function in retired rugby union players. Given that it’s the largest conference of its kind, I am privileged to be able to present our research which has formed one the many avenues currently being pursued by Neurovascular Research Laboratory. A recorded version of the presentation is available here.

Transcranial doppler ultrasound used to assess cerebral blood flow

"I am most looking forward to sharing my research on the world stage in front of leading academics, health professionals and young researchers," Tom said.

"I have been reading the research of the presenters and organisers for several years, so being able to meet them to discuss their research in person is a real treat. The research abstract based on my presentation will also be published in a special issue of the British Journal of Sports Medicine, so I’m really pleased to have that opportunity. I’m also looking forward to exploring Amsterdam and taking in the culture, so it promises to be a great experience."

Research plans for the future

He continued: "We’re currently preparing a full length research article based on our findings in retired rugby union players with concussion history, which we hope will be ready prior to the end of 2022. We’re also getting ready to investigate the effect of concussion history in female football and rugby union players, which will be ongoing throughout 2023."