Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 7, 2026
A Neuroscientific Approach to the Examination of Concussions in Student-Athletes
Published on: December 8, 2014
Predicting clinical concussion measures at baseline based on motivation and academic profile
Katrina J Trinidad1, Julianne D Schmidt, Johna K Register-Mihalik
1*Dunn Physical Therapy, Cary, North Carolina; †Department of Exercise and Sport Science, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; and ‡Clinical Research Unit, Emergency Services Institute, WakeMed Health and Hospitals, Raleigh, North Carolina.
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to predict baseline neurocognitive and postural control performance using a measure of motivation, high school grade point average (hsGPA), and Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) score.
Design:
Cross-sectional.
Setting:
Clinical research center.
Participants:
Eighty-eight National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I incoming student-athletes (freshman and transfers).
Interventions:
Participants completed baseline clinical concussion measures, including a neurocognitive test battery (CNS Vital Signs), a balance assessment [Sensory Organization Test (SOT)], and motivation testing (Rey Dot Counting). Participants granted permission to access hsGPA and SAT total score.
Main Outcome Measures:
Standard scores for each CNS Vital Signs domain and SOT composite score.
Results:
Baseline motivation, hsGPA, and SAT explained a small percentage of the variance of complex attention (11%), processing speed (12%), and composite SOT score (20%).
Conclusions:
Motivation, hsGPA, and total SAT score do not explain a significant amount of the variance in neurocognitive and postural control measures but may still be valuable to consider when interpreting neurocognitive and postural control measures.
