Cumulative Effects of Concussion in Amateur Athletes
- Authors: Iverson, Gaetz, Lovell, Collins
- Publication: Brain Injury
- Date: Jan 01, 2004
Abstract:
Amateur athletes with a history of three or more concussions were carefully matched (gender, age, education, and sport) with athletes with no prior concussions. ALl completed computerized neuropsychological test battery at preseason and then within 5 days of sustaining a concussion. There were differences between groups in symptom reporting and memory performance. At baseline, athletes with multiple concussions reported more symptoms than athletes with no history of concussion. At approximately 2 days post-injury, athletes with multiple concussions scored significantly lower on memory testing than athletes with a single concussion. Athletes with multiple concussions were 7.7 times more likely to demonstrate a major drop in memory performance than athletes with no previous concussions.