The purpose of this pilot study is to better understand the effects of chronic cannabis (THC) use on the neural responses to subconcussive head impacts, as a form of repetitive soccer headings. The study is designed to identify the physiological changes of cannabis using cohort (THC) and compare it to a nonusing cohort in order to see if the responses to 20 controlled bouts of soccer headings are exacerbated by the chronic cannabis use, diminished to less of a response, or unchanged, through an array of neurologic measures, including cognitive function, ocolar-motor function, autonomic function, and blood biomarkers. The hypothesis is that repetitive subconcussive head impacts will impair cognitive function in worse memory, attention span, and visual and verbal problem solving; this impairment will be greater in the chronic cannabis use groups than non-using group. The blood and salivary biomarkers neurofilament light (NFL) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) will be measured in plasma, with the hypothesis that repetitive subconcussive head impacts will significantly increase plasma NFL and GFAP level at 24 hours-post heading and decrease by 72 hours-post heading, while remaining undetectable at 2 hours-post heading; the chronic cannabis use groups will see more severe effects on ocular-motor function than the non-using group. The study aims to determine the differences in acute effects of subconcussive head impacts on eye movement, attention, and language function between chronic cannabis use subjects and non-using subjects by evaluating ocular-motor function with near point of convergence and King-Devick tests. The hypothesis is that repetitive subconcussive head impacts will significantly increase impairments of eye movements, attention, and language function, as well as near point of convergence; the chronic cannabis use groups will see more severe effects on hampered ocular-motor function than the non-using group. Lastly, there is a cold pressor test to assess autonomic nerve function, with the hypothesis that repetitive subconcussive head impacts will decrease autonomic nerve function in chronic cannabis use patients to a greater degree than non-using subjects.
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Acute change in brain-derived blood and saliva biomarkers from pre to 24 hour post-heading
Timeframe: Blood samples will be collected at pre- and 24 hour post-heading
Acute change in brain-derived blood and saliva biomarkers from pre to 2 hour post-heading
Timeframe: Blood and saliva samples will be collected at pre- and 2 hour post-heading
Acute change in neurocognitive function from pre to 2 hour post-heading
Timeframe: Neurocognitive function will be assessed at pre- and 2 hour post-heading
Acute change in neurocognitive function from pre to 24 hour post-heading
Timeframe: Neurocognitive function will be assessed at pre- and 24 hour post-heading
Acute change in ocular-motor function from pre to 2 hour post-heading
Timeframe: Ocular-motor function will be assessed at pre- and 2 hour post-heading
Acute change in ocular-motor function from pre to 24 hour post-heading
Timeframe: Ocular-motor function will be assessed at pre- and 24 hour post-heading