Concussive Injury

11 Pages 2703 Words

Concussive Injury

Relationship Between Concussion and Neuropsychological Performance in College Football Players Michael W. Collins, PhD; Scott H. Grindel, MD; Mark R. Lovell, PhD; Duane E. Dede, PhD; David J. Moser, PhD; Benjamin R. Phalin, BS; Sally Nogle, MA, ATC; Michael Wasik, MEd, ATC; David Cordry, MA; Michelle Klotz Daugherty, MA; Samuel F. Sears, PhD; Guy Nicolette, MD; Peter Indelicato, MD; Douglas B. McKeag, MD Context Despite the high prevalence and potentially serious outcomes associated with concussion in athletes, there is little systematic research examining risk factors and short- and long-term outcomes. Objectives To assess the relationship between concussion history and learning disability (LD) and the association of these variables with neuropsychological performance and to evaluate postconcussion recovery in a sample of college football players. Design, Setting, and Participants A total of 393 athletes from 4 university football programs across the United States received preseason baseline evaluations between May 1997 and February 1999. Subjects who had subsequent football-related acute concussions (n=16) underwent neuropsychological comparison with matched control athletes from within the sample (n=10). Main Outcome Measures Clinical interview, 8 neuropsychological measures, and concussion symptom scale ratings at baseline and after concussion. Results Of the 393 players, 129 (34%) had experienced 1 previous concussion and 79 (20%) had experienced 2 or more concussions. Multivariate analysis of variance yielded significant main effects for both LD (P*.001) and concussion history (P=.009), resulting in lowered baseline neuropsychological performance. A significant interaction was found between LD and history of multiple concussions and LD on 2 neuropsychological measures (Trail-Making Test, Form B [P=.007] and Symbol Digit Modalities Test [P=.009]), indicating poorer performance for the group with LD and multiple...