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Updated: Jul 6, 2026
A Neuroscientific Approach to the Examination of Concussions in Student-Athletes
Published on: December 8, 2014
Concussion history and postconcussion neurocognitive performance and symptoms in collegiate athletes
Tracey Covassin1, David Stearne, Robert Elbin
1Michigan State University, Department of Kinesiology, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA. covassin@msu.edu
Context:
Athletes are at an inherent risk for sustaining concussions. Research examining the long-term consequences of sport-related concussion has been inconsistent in demonstrating lingering neurocognitive decrements that may be associated with a previous history of concussion.
Objective:
To determine the relationship between concussion history and postconcussion neurocognitive performance and symptoms in collegiate athletes.
Design:
Repeated-measures design.
Setting:
Multi-center analysis of collegiate athletes.
Patients Or Other Participants:
Fifty-seven concussed collegiate athletes (36 without concussion history, 21 with a history of 2 or more concussions).
Intervention(S):
All subjects were administered an Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) neurocognitive test battery, which measures verbal memory, visual memory, reaction time, and visual processing speed and 22 concussion symptoms.
Main Outcome Measure(S):
Subjects who sustained a concussion were administered 2 follow-up tests at days 1 and 5 postinjury. Independent variables were history of concussion (no history of concussion, 2 or more concussions) and time (baseline, day 1 postconcussion, or day 5 postconcussion).
Results:
A within-subjects effect (time) on ImPACT performance (P < .001), a between-subjects multivariate effect of group (P < .001), and a group-by-time interaction (P = .034) were noted. Athletes with a concussion history performed significantly worse on verbal memory (P = .01) and reaction time (P = .023) at day 5 postconcussion compared with athletes who did not report a previous concussion. No significant group differences were seen at day 5 postinjury on visual memory (P = .167), processing speed (P = .179), or total concussion symptoms (P = .87).
Conclusions:
Concussed collegiate athletes with a history of 2 or more concussions took longer to recover verbal memory and reaction time than athletes without a history of concussion.
