NEW YORK - A computer-based
test of mental and neurological functioning can help determine whether young
athletes have suffered a concussion from a sports-related injury, a new study
shows.
Coaches and trainers generally rely on an athlete's own description of
symptoms such as dizziness, headache and visual disturbances to determine if he
or she has had a concussion, Dr. Mark R. Lovell of the University of Pittsburgh
Medical Center, Philadelphia, and colleagues note in the American Journal of
Sports Medicine.
However, they add, athletes may often minimize or deny their own symptoms in
order to stay in the game or on the team.
The Immediate Postconcussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) system
is a series of tests intended to identify the decline in memory that occurs
after concussion and can last for as long as a week, and may offer a more
objective way to diagnose concussion in young athletes, Lovell and his team
explain. The assessment includes a 20-minute series of tests of verbal and
visual memory, reaction time, and visual motor processing speed.
To evaluate the effectiveness of ImPACT in helping to spot concussions, the
researchers had athletes complete the test two days after a suspected
concussion, and compared the findings with a diagnosis made immediately after
injury by a doctor or certified athletic trainer.
All 122 athletes had completed the computer testing before being injured, so
the researchers were able to compare their scores before and after the test.
Also, 70 athletes who had not had recent concussions served as a comparison
group. They had been tested once with ImPACT and then again one week later.
Overall, 64 percent of the athletes reported an increase in symptoms after
the suspected concussion, while 83 percent had abnormal results on the ImPACT
test.
"This study demonstrates that even athletes who report being symptom free may
continue to exhibit neurocognitive deficits that they are either unaware of or
are failing to report," Lovell and his colleagues write. "Our data suggest that
if neurocognitive testing is unavailable, the treating physician should be
cautious in returning athletes to play based on their self-report of symptoms."
The researchers conclude that the ImPACT test offers "added value" to the
"gold standard" of diagnosis by medical doctors or certified athletic trainers
on the field.
Lovell and another study author are shareholders in ImPACT Applications, the
company that sells the test.
SOURCE: American Journal of Sports Medicine, October 2006.
