Relationship between Visually Evoked Effects and Concussion in Youth.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Sports Medicine
• Ophthalmology

Background:

• Post-concussion syndrome often includes photophobia and visually triggered symptoms.
• Dynamic visual stimuli can elicit uncomfortable somatic sensations, such as nausea and headaches.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of viewing a patterned, flickering screen in concussed and uninjured youth athletes.
• To identify distinct patterns of visually evoked symptomatology and their association with concussion severity.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) to analyze participant responses to visual stimuli.
• Categorized participants into 'no effects,' 'eye-predominant effects,' and 'brain-predominant effects' based on MCA dimensions.
• Assessed concussion symptom burden and visio-vestibular task performance.

Main Results:

• Eye-predominant effects were similarly reported in both uninjured (33.3%) and concussed (32.1%) groups.
• Brain-predominant effects were significantly more common in concussed athletes (35.7%) compared to uninjured controls (1.2%).
• Brain-predominant effects correlated with higher concussion symptom burden and poorer visio-vestibular performance.

Conclusions:

• Experiencing negative somatic sensations from dynamic visual stimuli is a key indicator of concussion.
• Brain-predominant visually evoked symptoms suggest more severe concussion and potential trigeminal nociceptive system involvement.
• This study highlights the diagnostic and prognostic value of visual stimulus-evoked symptoms in youth concussion.