The Utility Of Neuropsychological Testing In College Athletes With Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

• Published in: Journal of athletic training Vol. 36; no. 2; pp. S - 58
• Main Authors: Beehler, PJH, Kondraske, G V
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01-01-2001
• ISSN: 1062-6050

The application of neuropsychological testing procedures to the evaluation of athletes has recently become an area of intense research interest because approximately 10% of all head injuries are caused during athletic competition and about 10% of all sport-related injuries are head injuries. While most of these injuries are mild traumatic brain injuries (MTBI), many contact sports (e.g., football, ice-hockey,) involve risk of repeated head injury. Recent research, however, has shown that repeated head injury may cause MTBI in "non-contact" sports (e.g., basketball, soccer, volleyball, baseball and softball). Athletes may experience symptoms such as headache, dizziness, irritability, memory deficit and concentration deficit. Baseline neuropsychological testing measures an athlete's neuromotor status before the season/injury. Physicians and athletic trainers use the results to gauge the neuro-motor effects of MTBI that occur during competition. Testing generally focuses on short-memory, attention, information pro-cessing speed, and reaction/movement speed. Thus, neuropsychological testing in athletes is evolving into a clinical tool that can help physicians and athletic trainers monitor athlete recovery from concussion and help make return-to-play decisions. The purpose of this study was to begin an on-going baseline neuropsychological testing program of college athletes to better manage and prevent future sport-related MTBI. Baseline neuropsychological assessments were collected from two central processing motor control modules (Models BEP I, BEP II, Human Performance Measurement, Arlington, TX). These modules were connected in series to a personal computer. Testing included short-term memory, attention, information processing speed, and reaction/movement speed. Each test had standardized testing protocols that were software driven. Ninety-four athletes (male = 49, female = 45) were tested from the non-contact sports of basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, tennis and track. Results showed that 25 (26.6 %) of the athletes had prior MTBI before testing, and 6 (24%) of the athletes actually had experienced second-impact syndrome before testing. However, none of the athletes tested suffered a MTBI during their respective competitive seasons. (If any athlete would have sustained a suspected concussion, he/she would have been re-tested at least twice - within 24 hours after injury and within 5 days after injury.) The most useful neuropsychological tests were two-choice reaction time, short-term memory and attention/information processing because they showed the largest differences between athletes with prior MTBI and no prior MTBI; they also showed differences between athletes for the non-contact sports tested. Neuropsychological testing is sensitive in the evaluation of MTBI in athletes and may become more clinically useful in the future.