S.A. Publications and Research

SOUTH AFRICAN CONCUSSION RESEARCH CONDUCTED BY THE NATIONAL SPORTS CONCUSSION INITIATIVE (NSCI):  CO-ORDINATOR PROFESSOR ANN EDWARDS

PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS

Shuttleworth-Jordan, A.B., Puchert, J., & Balarin, E.  (1993). Negative consequences of mild head injury in rugby:  a matter worthy of concern. In R. Plunkett & S. Anderson (Eds.). Proceedings of the 5th National Neuropsychology Conference.

Shuttleworth-Edwards, A.B., & Border, M.A. (2002). Computer-based screening in concussion management: Use versus abuse.   British Journal of Sports Medicine, 36. 473.

Shuttleworth-Edwards, A., Border, M., Reid, I., & Radloff, S. (2004).  South African Rugby Union. In: Lovell MR, Echemendia, RE, Barth JT, Collins MW (eds.).  Traumatic Brain Injury in Sports: An International Neuropsychological Perspective (Chapter 9, pp. 149-168).  The Netherlands: Swets & Zeitlinger.   

Shuttleworth-Edwards, A.B., & Whitefield, V.J.  (2007)  Ethically we can no longer sit on the fence:  A neuropsychological perspective on the cerebrally hazardous contact sports. South African Journal of Sports Medicine, 19(2), 32-38.

Shuttleworth-Edwards, A.B., & Whitefield, V.J.  (2007). Optimal application of neurocognitive assessment in concussion management:  A professional dilemma. South African Journal of Sports Medicine, 19(3), 101-104.

Shuttleworth-Edwards, A.B., Smith, I., & Radloff, S. (2008). Neurocognitive vulnerability amongst university rugby players versus noncontact sport controls. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 30 (8), 870-884.

Shuttleworth-Edwards, A, & Radloff, S. (2008).  Compromised visuomotor processing speed in players of Rugby Union from school through to the adult national level. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 23(5), 511-20.

Shuttleworth-Edwards, A.B.  (2008).  Central or peripheral? A positional stance in reaction to the Prague statement on the role of neuropsychological assessment in sports concussion management. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 23(5), 479-85.

Shuttleworth-Edwards, A.B., Noakes, T.D., Radloff, S.E., Whitefield, VJ., Roberts, C.O., Clark, S., Essack, FB., Zoccola, D. Boulind, MJ. Case, SE., Smith, IP, & Mitchell, JL. (2008).  Incidence of concussive injury reported for follow-up management in South African Rugby Union. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, 18(5).403-9.

Shuttleworth-Edwards, A.B. (2008)  Convolutions of the ‘silent concussion’:  A neuropsychologist’s response to the dark ages of rule-based return-to-play decisions.  Archives of Neurology, 65(9), 1152-1153.

CONFERENCE PAPERS AND SYMPOSIUMS

Shuttleworth-Jordan, A.B., Balarin, E. & Puchert, J. (1993, June). Mild head injury effects in rugby:  Is playing the game really worth the cost?  Paper presented at the 15th Mid-Year European Meeting of the International Neuropsychological Society, Funchal, Island of Madeira, Portugal.

Shuttleworth-Jordan, A.B., Puchert, J., & Balarin, E. (1993, July).   Negative consequences of mild head injury in rugby:  a matter worthy of concern.  Paper presented at the 5th National Neuropsychology Conference, Durban.

Shuttleworth-Jordan, A.B. (1999, June). Blowing the whistle on the hazards of head injury in rugby and football.   Symposium presented at the 22nd mid-year annual meeting of the International Neuropsychological Society, Durban, South Africa.

Reid, I., Shuttleworth-Jordan, A.B., Ancer, R., Dickinson, A., Radloff, S., & Jakoet, I. (1999, June). To scrum or not to scrum: First Report from the RU-SARFU rugby head injury study. In Shuttleworth-Jordan, A.B. (Chair), Blowing the whistle on the hazards of head injury in rugby and football.   Paper presented in a sports head injury symposium, at the 22nd mid-year annual meeting of the International Neuropsychological Society, Durban, South Africa.

Shuttleworth-Jordan, A.B. (1999, June). When a little becomes too much: A prospective theoretical context for cumulative mild head injury effects.  A response to apparently null outcomes.  In Shuttleworth-Jordan, A.B. (Chair), Blowing the whistle on the hazards of head injury in rugby and football.   Paper presented in a sports head injury symposium at the 22nd mid-year annual meeting of the International Neuropsychological Society, Durban, South Africa.

Shuttleworth-Jordan, A.,  Dickinson, A., Ancer, R., Reid, I., Radloff, S., & Jakoet, I. (2000, July).  The percentage of individuals with cognitive test deficit and postconcussive sequelae following participation in rugby: Alarm bells from the RU-SARFU rugby head injury study.  Paper presented at the 23rd mid-year annual meeting of the International Neuropsychological Society, Brussels, Belgium. 

Shuttleworth-Edwards, A.B.  (2000, August). Is disability after mild head injury a myth? Paper  presented in Tolman, S. (Chair), `The abuse and trivialization of neuropsychology in South Africa: Misleading the public’.  Symposium hosted by the South African Clinical Neuropsychological Society (SACNA).   PsySSA Congress, Johannesburg.

Shuttleworth-Edwards, A.B.  (2000, August). How seriously should participation in rugby be considered a case of head battering with potentially sinister consequences? Paper  presented in Tolman, S. (Chair), `The abuse and trivialization of neuropsychology in South Africa: Misleading the public’.  Symposium hosted by the South African Clinical Neuropsychological Society (SACNA).   PsySSA Congress, Johannesburg.

Shuttleworth-Edwards, A., Border, M., & Radloff, S. (2001, July).   Participation in contact sport: A case of mild head battering with long-term additive effects.  Paper presented at the 24th mid-year annual meeting of the International Neuropsychological Society, Brasilia, Brazil SARAH Network of Hospitals.

Shuttleworth-Edwards, A.B., Ackermann, T., Beilinsohn, T., Border, M., & Radloff, S. (2001, September).  A study on the effects of cumulative mild head injury in high school rugby.  Paper presented in Shuttleworth-Edwards, A.B. (Chair), ‘Sports related head injury’.  Symposium convened at the 8th National Conference of the SA Clinical Neuropsychological Association (SACNA), University of Cape Town.

Shuttleworth-Edwards, A.B. (2001, September).  To ban or not to ban:  Ethical considerations of participation of rugby at the school level.  Paper presented in Shuttleworth-Edwards, A.B. (Chair), ‘Sports related head injury’.  Symposium convened at the 8th National Conference of the SA Clinical Neuropsychological Association (SACNA), University of Cape Town.

Shuttleworth-Edwards, A.B. (2003, October). Cumulative mild head injury in the contact sports: How fine is “fine”?.  Paper presented in Shuttleworth-Edwards, A.B & Lovell, M. ‘Current developments in the Neuropsychology of Sports Concussion’.  Symposium convened for the Joint Neurological Rehabilitation Conference and Clinical Neuropsychology Conference, Johannesburg, South Africa.                     

Shuttleworth-Edwards, A.  (2004, February).  Never say Never:  Additive and Variability effects in Sports Concussion Research.  Invited paper in M. Lovell (Chair), Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Sports: An International Neuropsychological Perspective.  Featured Symposium at the 32nd Annual meeting of the International Neuropsychological Society, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

Shuttleworth-Edwards, A, & Radloff, S. (2005, July).  Residual deficits in visuo-perceptual processing in players of Rugby Union from school through to the professional level.  Paper presentated at the 28th mid-year annual meeting of the International Neuropsychological Society, Dublin, Ireland.

Shuttleworth-Edwards, A.B. (2006, September). The role of computer-based neurocognitive screening in the overall medical management of sports concussion. Invited address delivered in the division of ‘Sports Injury and the Neurosurgeon’, at the 19th Biennial Congress of the Society of Neurosurgeons of South Africa, Vineyard Hotel, Cape Town.

Shuttleworth-Edwards, A.B. (2006, September). Computer-based neurocognitive screening in sports concussion management: Luxury or clinical necessity in the public domain?  Paper presented at the 12th South African Psychology Congress, Emperor’s Palace, Johannesburg.

Whitefield, V.J., Shuttleworth-Edwards, A.B., & Radloff, S. (2007, July). Neuropsychological  profile of contact versus noncontact sports players at Grade 12 level.  Paper presented at the 30th mid-year annual meeting of the International Neuropsychological Society, Bilbao, Spain.

AB Shuttleworth-Edwards, VJ Whitefield, SE Radloff, AM Taylor, MR Lovell. (2008, October). Baseline neuropsychological profiles of South African Rugby versus American football players from 11 to 21 years.  Paper presented at the 3rd International Conference on Sports Concussion,  Zurich, Switzerland. 

THESES COMPLETED

Ancer, R. (1999, with distinction).  Cumulative mild head injury in rugby: cognitive test profiles of professional rugby and cricket players.  Clinical Masters Thesis, Rhodes University, Grahamstown.

Dickinson, A. (1999, with distinction).  Postconcussive sequelae in contact sport: rugby versus non-contact sport controls.  Clinical Masters Thesis, Rhodes University, Grahamstown.

Reid, I. (1999, with distinction).  Tackling mild head injury in rugby: a comparison of the cognitive profiles of professional rugby and cricket players.  Clinical Masters Thesis, Rhodes University, Grahamstown.

Bold, L. (2000, with distinction).  Cumulative mild head injury in contact sport: a comparison of the cognitive profiles of rugby players and non-contact sport controls with normative data.  Clinical Masters Thesis, Rhodes University, Grahamstown.

Border, M. A. (2000, with distinction).  Heads and tales.  The effect of mild head injuries on rugby players: cognitive deficit and postconcussive symptoms.  Clinical Masters thesis, Rhodes University, Grahamstown.

Finkelstein, M.  (2000, with distinction).  The scrum-down on brain damage effects of cumulative mild head injury in rugby.  A comparison of group mean scores between national rugby players and non-contact sport controls.  Clinical Masters thesis, Rhodes University, Grahamstown.

Ackerman, T. (2001, with distinction).  Minor dings - major effects?  A study into the consequences of mild concussive in high school rugby.  Clinical Masters Thesis, Rhodes University, Grahamstown.

Beilinsohn, T. (2001, with distinction).  The cumulative effects of mild head injury on high school rugby players: A comparison of the cognitive deficits and postconcussive symptoms between school rugby and hockey players.  Clinical Masters Thesis, Rhodes University, Grahamstown.

Giai-Coletti, C.  (2003, with distinction). Rugby: More than just a game.  A study of the cumulative effects of mild head injuries on high school rugby players. Clinical Masters thesis, Rhodes University, Grahamstown.

Mitchell, J.  (2005, with distinction).  A case study investigation into the utility of baseline data versus normative data using a computer-based concussion management programme.  Clinical Masters thesis, Rhodes University, Grahamstown.

Boulind, M.  (2005). An investigation into residual postconcussive symptoms of mild traumatic brain injury in Rugby Union players at University level,  Clinical Masters thesis, Rhodes University, Grahamstown.

Case, S. (2005, with distinction). A case study investigation into the acute neuropsychological effects of mild traumatic brain injuries amongst university rugby players. Clinical Masters thesis, Rhodes University, Grahamstown.

Smith, I. (2005, degree with distinction). The effect of repetitive mild head injuries on the long-term cognitive functions of  university rugby players, Clinical Masters thesis, Rhodes University, Grahamstown.

Godlo, T. (2006). Normative data on the ImPACT concussion management programme for Xhosa speaking high school boys in a semi-rural environment.  Clinical Masters thesis, Rhodes University, Grahamstown.

Whitefield, V. (2006)  A computer-based investigation into the acute and chronic effects of cumulative mild head injury in senior school Rugby Union. PhD thesis, Rhodes University, Grahamstown.

THESES IN PROGRESS

Clark, S.  Visual and verbal memory deficits in provincial Rugby Union players as a result of concussion.  PhD thesis registered in 2004, Rhodes University, Grahamstown.

Essack, F. Cognitive decline and executive dysfunction following concussion:  A study on younger versus older South African male adolescent rugby players.  PhD thesis registered in 2004, Rhodes University , Grahamstown.

Zoccola, D.  The acute and chronic neuropsychological effects of head and body collisions on club level Rugby Union players. PhD thesis registered in 2004, Rhodes University, Grahamstown.

Godlo, T.  Xhosa translation and norming of the ImPACT neurocognitive screening programme.  PhD thesis pending registration in 2010, Rhodes University, Grahamstown. (Pending).