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Updated: Mar 12, 2026

In Vivo Protocol of Controlled Subconcussive Head Impacts for the Validation of Field Study Data
Published on: April 18, 2019
Brain Tissue Strain During Adolescent Soccer Heading Using the Cloud-Based Brain Simulation Research Platform Finite
Colin M Huber1, Declan A Patton1, Kristy B Arbogast1
1R. H. Kraft is a Professor at the Pennsylvania State University in University Park, PA, USA. C. M. Huber completed the research as a PhD candidate at the University of Pennsylvania and Center for Injury Research and Prevention (CIRP), Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) in Philadelphia, PA, USA. D. A. Patton is a Senior Scientist at CIRP at CHOP, PA, USA. K. B. Arbogast is the Scientific Director of CIRP at CHOP and Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, PA, USA.
Soccer headers in adolescents cause brain strain. This study used a finite element (FE) model to analyze head impacts, finding frontal headers had higher linear acceleration but similar brain strain to oblique headers.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Neuroscience
- Sports Medicine
Background:
- Soccer headers can cause head impacts and potential brain strain in adolescent athletes.
- Understanding the biomechanics of these impacts is crucial for injury prevention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify brain strain from soccer headers in adolescent athletes.
- To utilize a cloud-based finite element (FE) human head model for impact analysis.
Main Methods:
- Eleven adolescent athletes (13-18 years) performed 10 soccer headers each.
- Head linear acceleration and angular velocity were recorded using an Impact Monitoring Mouthguard (IMM).
- Collected kinematic data was applied to the Brain Simulation Research Platform (BSRP) FE head model.
Main Results:
- Frontal headers showed significantly higher mean peak linear acceleration than oblique headers (17.5±0.5 g vs. 12.3±0.4 g).
- Oblique headers exhibited significantly higher mean peak angular acceleration (1431±66 rad/s² vs. 1142±45 rad/s²).
- Peak MPS95 values were similar between frontal and oblique headers (4.8±1.1% vs. 4.5±1.2%), indicating comparable brain tissue strain.
Conclusions:
- The BSRP FE head model shows potential for simulating on-field head impact data with reduced computational time.
- Despite higher angular kinematics in oblique headers, peak brain strain was comparable to frontal headers.
- Further research is needed to estimate strain from more severe impacts and validate the model against real-world data.
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