News by Levels · Level 1 · Student worksheet

Mouthguards Help Scientists Study Head Injuries

In this lesson: Identify the study sample and its main comparison.

Name: __________________________ Date: __________________

Read the story

Stanford researchers used special mouthguards to study head impacts in 203 athletes across seven sports. Their findings were published on November 9.

Straight-line head acceleration predicted concussion better than turning acceleration in these data. This does not mean turning movements are safe.

Source: Stanford Medicine via Brightsurf, 2026-11-09. https://www.brightsurf.com/news/L592XN78/concussion-study-upends-understanding-of-what-makes-head-impacts-dangerous.html

Read and practise

1. How many athletes were studied?

   1. November 9
   2. 203
   3. Seven

2. Which motion predicted concussion better in these data?

   1. Straight-line acceleration
   2. Turning acceleration
   3. Both were exactly equal

Your turn

Describe the sample and the result without saying turning movements are safe.

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Read online: https://newsbylevels.com/news/stanford-mouthguard-linear-head-impact-study-november-2026/level-1/