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College Students Suffer Cognitive Impairment After Concussion

by Jean Rickerson, Editor

 

 

June 5, 2011

 

DENVER – The current focus on sports-related concussion has drawn attention to its effects on student-athletes. College-age athletes who suffered a concussion performed more poorly on tests for verbal memory, according to research being presented recently at the 58th Annual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine and 2nd World Congress on Exercise is Medicine®.

“This study corroborates the effect of concussion on brain functioning in student-athletes,” said Robert Gardner, lead researcher for this study and a student at Elon University in North Carolina.

 

“In looking at 100 athletes from football, men’s soccer and women’s soccer, we found multiple signs of decreased cognitive processing.” Each participant received Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment Testing (Impact TM), as well as EEG testing while performing the Eriksen Flanker Task and an auditory oddball task.

 

Verbal memory was worse in those who had previously suffered a concussion compared with those who had not, according to Eric E. Hall, Ph.D., FACSM, principle investigator for the study. He said that these results, while not surprising, suggest the need for further research on the cognitive effects of concussion, particularly in the developing brains of children and adolescents.

 

 

Dr. Ann Glang, a research scientist at the Oregon Center for Applied Science said, "Dr. Hall’s findings of multiple signs of decreased cognitive processing in concussed collegiate athletes is consistent with a number of other studies. The problems identified in working memory are particularly challenging for college athletes, because this processing capacity underlies so much of learning.

Although most research in this area suggests that cognitive impairments resolve within the first seven days following concussion, some studies have shown that these effects are longer lasting---in one study, college athletes who were concussed were still experiencing effects 2 months later (VAN DONKELAAR et al. 2005).

The importance of this work extends to youth sports. We need to know more about the effects of concussion, and we need to help schools and youth sports entities better manage the effects of concussion.

 

 The work being done in states where concussion laws have been passed is critical in this effort. For example, in Oregon, where Max’s Law was enacted in 2009, the Oregon Concussion Awareness and Management Program provides information, resources and tools for school districts so that they can better care for student athletes who experience concussion. These types of resources are essential for schools, who are being asked to implement new policies and procedures to comply with new laws."


More than 20 states have enacted laws since 2009 governing concussion in youth sports, focusing primarily on athletes of high school age and younger. Based on the Zackery Lystedt Law passed in Washington State, the laws typically call for education of athletes, parents and coaches about the dangers of concussion; removal from play or practice of a youth athlete who is suspected of having suffered a concussion; and return to play only after medical clearance.

 

The American College of Sports Medicine is the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world. More than 45,000 international, national and regional members and certified professionals are dedicated to advancing and integrating scientific research to provide educational and practical applications of exercise science and sports medicine.

Questions/comments?  Contact Jean Rickerson at jean@sportsconcussions.org


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