Detection of Chronic Cognitive-Motor Deficits in Adults With a History of Concussion Using Computerized Eye-Hand...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Sports Medicine
• Rehabilitation Science

Background:

• Concussion is a significant public health issue with lasting cognitive effects.
• Current screening tools neglect the assessment of combined cognitive-motor functions.
• Chronic cognitive-motor impairments post-concussion remain undiagnosed by existing methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate computerized eye-hand coordination tasks for detecting chronic cognitive-motor deficits.
• To provide evidence for using these tasks to identify individuals with a concussion history.

Main Methods:

• Two experiments assessed coupled cognitive-motor functions using computerized eye-hand coordination tasks.
• Participants included young adults with and without a history of concussion.
• Measures included Just Noticeable Difference (JND) and Proportion of Time-on-Task (PTT); data analyzed using ANOVAs and Cohen's d test.

Main Results:

• Concussion history was associated with greater inconsistency in visual discrimination (JND) and poorer coordination performance (PTT).
• Participants with concussion history showed impaired performance in both in-phase and anti-phase coordination tasks.
• A failure to differentiate performance between anti-phase and 90° coordination patterns was observed in the concussion group.

Conclusions:

• Unimanual coordination tasks are sensitive in detecting chronic cognitive-motor deficits post-concussion.
• These tasks effectively identify both impaired and undifferentiated performance in coordination patterns.
• Computerized eye-hand coordination tasks offer a promising avenue for concussion screening.