Spontaneous eyeblink rate as a predictor of dopamine: Individual differences across previous collision sport history

Humans and animals identify, pursue and achieve rewards and learn from rewarded experiences through a reward system

The mesolimbic reward system is responsible for a number of psychological mechanisms including hedonic response to reward and incentive salience or colloquially liking and wanting

Eye-blink rate is a reliable proxy for dopaminergic functioning (Taylor et al., 1999)

Altered dysfunction has been detected in a number of clinical populations, including schizophrenia (Chen, Lam, Chen, & Nguyen, 1996), and Parkinson’s disease (Deuschl & Goddemeier, 1998)

Individuals with concussions display a number of behavioral and functional brain changes suggestive of dopaminergic dysfunction

Here we investigate the use of a low-cost eyetracker to evaluate eyeblink rate as a proxy for dopamine functioning