UNL lab partners with Husker athletics

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LINCOLN — An unusual partnership between a University of Nebraska-Lincoln brain researcher and Husker athletics could put Nebraska at the global forefront of understanding the mysteries of the human brain and how it recovers from injury.
Developmental psychologist Dennis Molfese describes his work as standing at the edge of an unexplored land.

“We're asking questions people haven't asked before,” he said, describing his wonder at conducting experiments that sometimes allow him to be “the only person in humanity who has seen this result.”

On Friday, the University of Nebraska Board of Regents unanimously approved a $5 million expenditure to equip a new athletic performance laboratory. Located in new office space on the east side of Memorial Stadium, it will be a sister lab to Molfese's Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior — dubbed the CB³.

CB³ was approved in 2011. Both labs are slated to open in the summer of 2013.

The athletic performance laboratory will identify training practices that help win games and enhance the well-being of student athletes.

It will operate hand-in-hand with Molfese's laboratory. Along with conducting other brain studies, the Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior will coordinate collaborative studies of concussions among Big Ten athletes.

“We're the last university to join the Big Ten, but we're taking the initiative with this,” Molfese said. “The level of collaboration is unprecedented.”

On average, Molfese said, a college football team suffers 20 to 22 significant head injuries each season. The 12 football teams in the Big Ten thus would create a pool of more than 240 student-athletes to study.

Molfese hopes to obtain baseline pictures of incoming athletes' brains to examine how they change through injury and recovery. He envisions developing iPad applications to diagnose concussions on the field. He wants to study athletes' brain patterns before and after a performance.

Molfese said the Committee on Institutional Cooperation — the Big Ten's academic arm — has received inquiries from the Ivy League, Pac-12 and other conferences about joining the effort.

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Yep, this is what they've been talking about with the new wing on the stadium. It's cutting-edge stuff, supposedly hoping to keep us in the forefront of sports science/medicine, kind of like weight training used to back in the 80s.

 
I heard that even if we get back to the point where we can be eligible to get into the AAU again we won't apply for it because we're mad about being kicked out.

 
It'll be fun to track Nebraska's research expenditures in 5 year increments upon joining the B1G/CIC. According to the article, the past 3 yrs. saw a 14% increase. That's pre-B1G/CIC figures. Having the CIC is going to make a HUGE difference on research expenditures over time. That's what I'm most excited about. Innovation Campus will boost our academic profile once it's completed in the next 25 yrs. Lots to be excited about at Nebraska on the academic side of things.

 
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I'm hoping we trend similarly to Penn State, who was in much the same position as we are today when they joined the Big Ten back in the 90s. Today they're in the top 50 of US News' rankings, and we're 101st.

 
Still hate how all that AAU sh#t went down. They essentially kicked us out of their club cuz, lol, corn doesn't count you dummies - start studying medicine. Uh, we do plenty of medical research, its just at our sister place UNMC. LOLZ that dont count you country bumf*ck fools! If u ever lrn2research n stuff maybe give us a call back lololol

 
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Glad to see UNL taking the lead researching this issue. Seems to be getting a lot of press lately.

 
4skers89 said:
Glad to see UNL taking the lead researching this issue. Seems to be getting a lot of press lately.
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Finally!!

Someone in this thread interested in the actual research.

This could be the beginning of the end of football as we know it...(Probably j/k), but it is one of the reasons I haven't pushed my own Son into the only sport I ever loved.

I value the sportsmanship and teamwork the sport has taught me..But between that and the countless "mini-concussions" that occured anmost every play that I wasn't able to fend off blocker's headbutts, and the hazardous chemicals and semi-volitile organics I've inhaled over the years as a prescreening tool to identify unknown wastes..uh,,where was I going with this?..Oh yeah!..most of the holes in my braim were probably avoidable.

 
HUSKER 37 said:
4skers89 said:
Glad to see UNL taking the lead researching this issue. Seems to be getting a lot of press lately.
Click to expand...
Finally!!

Someone in this thread interested in the actual research.

This could be the beginning of the end of football as we know it...(Probably j/k), but it is one of the reasons I haven't pushed my own Son into the only sport I ever loved.

I value the sportsmanship and teamwork the sport has taught me..But between that and the countless "mini-concussions" that occured anmost every play that I wasn't able to fend off blocker's headbutts, and the hazardous chemicals and semi-volitile organics I've inhaled over the years as a prescreening tool to identify unknown wastes..uh,,where was I going with this?..Oh yeah!..most of the holes in my braim were probably avoidable.
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I'm afraid you might be correct about the beginning of the end. I really hate to see it but if there are long term unavoidable injuries to the brain, I would feel guilty watching football. From what I've read it's going to be a difficult thing to solve with equipment and rules. I don't think most fans want to talk about it. Very depressing topic.

 
4skers89 said:
HUSKER 37 said:
4skers89 said:
Glad to see UNL taking the lead researching this issue. Seems to be getting a lot of press lately.
Click to expand...
Finally!!

Someone in this thread interested in the actual research.

This could be the beginning of the end of football as we know it...(Probably j/k), but it is one of the reasons I haven't pushed my own Son into the only sport I ever loved.

I value the sportsmanship and teamwork the sport has taught me..But between that and the countless "mini-concussions" that occured anmost every play that I wasn't able to fend off blocker's headbutts, and the hazardous chemicals and semi-volitile organics I've inhaled over the years as a prescreening tool to identify unknown wastes..uh,,where was I going with this?..Oh yeah!..most of the holes in my braim were probably avoidable.
Click to expand...
I'm afraid you might be correct about the beginning of the end. I really hate to see it but if there are long term unavoidable injuries to the brain, I would feel guilty watching football. From what I've read it's going to be a difficult thing to solve with equipment and rules. I don't think most fans want to talk about it. Very depressing topic.
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Or better equipment could be an answer. I'm leave much of my philosophical opinions unstated.

Its definitely awesome that UNL is one the front lines with this! Like someone else's comparison about the weight room, perhaps this is something that could get us a recruiting edge.

 
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