Sports

A new study has found that a kid who has suffered a concussion – even a mild one – is 15% less likely to go on to higher education in adulthood. It highlights the long-term impact of traumatic brain injury on learning, regardless of severity.

Individuals who suffer head trauma from sports, accidents, or other causes often go on to develop neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's or Alzheimer's. A new study sheds light on why that might be and offers a way to prevent it.

Whether we've watched athletes do it or experienced it ourselves, 'choking' in a high-stakes moment comes down to more than composure. For the first time, scientists have uncovered a set of neurons that fail to do their job when the payoff is greatest.

New research found that even an old mild concussion can have long-lasting effects in otherwise healthy people. The study adds to a growing understanding of traumatic brain injury and is relevant to the evolving legal landscape around brain injuries in sports.

Artificial-turf sports fields may be more durable than those covered in grass, but they also get very hot during warm weather. Scientists have devised a method of cooling them – and the cities they're in – using rainwater stored beneath the turf.

After an athlete has suffered a concussion, it's important that they wait until the injury has healed before returning to the playing field. A new headset is designed to let them know when it's safe to do so, by monitoring their "headpulse."

A new study from researchers in Japan offers the first direct investigation into the effects of caffeine on 100-meter sprint running. The findings revealed athletes who dose up on caffeine can run significantly faster sprint times.

A long-term study spanning 35 years has revealed men who participated in amateur boxing in their youth are almost three times more likely to suffer from Alzheimer’s-like cognitive impairment in their senior years compared to those who did not box.

In order to minimize the chances of injury, many athletes wear a brace to help support a particularly vulnerable knee joint. Exoskeleton manufacturer C-EXO is taking that idea further, with a "smart" pneumatically activated knee brace.

We've seen a variety of technologies aimed at helping athletic coaches to determine if players who have received knocks to the head are indeed concussed. One of the latest such systems, EyeGuide's Focus, promises to deliver results in just 10 seconds.​

Sports helmets usually receive impacts at an angle, with the resulting twisting of the head potentially causing brain injuries to the wearer. Now, scientists have developed something to help keep that from happening – a sticker.​

Technology has made monitoring our health and fitness easier, cheaper and more convenient than ever, with a dizzying array of apps and wearable devices designed to improve our wellbeing. Gizmag looks back at just some of the health and fitness tracking technology that caught our eye this year.