A Multifaceted Approach to Interpreting Reaction Time Deficits After Adolescent Concussion

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Sports Medicine
• Rehabilitation

Background:

• Reaction time (RT) is crucial for return to participation (RTP) after concussion.
• Impaired RT is linked to re-injury risk.
• Current RT assessments may miss subtle, post-symptom deficits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of various RT tests in distinguishing adolescents with concussion from controls.
• To assess RT at initial diagnosis and during RTP evaluation.
• To identify reliable RT measures for concussion assessment.

Main Methods:

• Prospective cohort study involving 27 adolescents with concussion and 21 controls.
• Utilized clinical drop stick, simple stimulus-response, single-task Stroop, and dual-task Stroop RT tests.
• Administered the Post-Concussion Symptoms Inventory (PCSI).

Main Results:

• Concussion group showed slower RT on clinical drop stick and dual-task Stroop at initial assessment.
• At 1-month follow-up, concussion group had slower RT on clinical drop stick, single-task Stroop, and dual-task Stroop compared to controls.
• Symptom severity was similar between groups at follow-up, indicating persistent RT deficits.

Conclusions:

• Adolescents recovering from concussion may exhibit persistent RT deficits beyond symptom resolution.
• Clinical drop stick and dual-task Stroop RT measures show high accuracy in detecting post-concussion deficits.
• These RT tests are valuable tools for initial concussion assessment and RTP evaluations.