Only offshore fishing is a more dangerous occupation than being a horse jockey. Jockeys are exposed to serious health risks in their workplace and these risks are exacerbated by occupational stress. Our pilot work demonstrated that compared with jockeys with low self-reported stress, stressed jockeys exhibit meaningful decreases in their decision-making and reaction times. The magnitude of this effect is comparable with people with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.08%. 

This study builds on these findings with a design that uses CONVIRT, a virtual reality decision-making test that incorporates eye-tracking technology and decision-making tasks in a simulated horserace environment. Additionally, this project will identify biomarkers that assist in diagnosis, prognosis, and recovery from the brain injury. At present, there is no objective test for concussion. Using CONVIRT and blood biomarkers, we seek to remedy this, and improve jockey safety by: (i) better informing return-to-ride status post-concussion and (ii) identifying riders who may not be fit-to-ride.