BACKGROUND: College football players sustain an average of 3 subconcussive blows to the head per game. Concussions correlate with decreases in standardized neurocognitive test scores. It is not known whether repetitive, subconcussive microtrauma associated with participation in a full season of collision sport affects neurocognitive test scores. HYPOTHESIS: No difference exists between preseason, midseason, and postseason Standardized Assessment of Concussion (SAC) and Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) scores when collegiate football players sustain subconcussive microtrauma from forceful, repetitive contact activity. STUDY DESIGN: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. METHODS: Fifty-eight members of a Division III collegiate football team who had no known concussion during the season voluntarily completed the SAC and ImPACT instruments preseason, midseason, and postseason. A repeated measures analysis of variance was used to compare the scores at the 3 time intervals (P < .05). RESULTS: No statistically significant decreases were found in overall SAC or ImPACT scores or in any of the domains or composites of the tests (P < .05) when preseason, midseason, and postseason scores were evaluated. CONCLUSIONS: ImPACT and SAC neurocognitive test scores are not significantly altered by a season of repetitive contact in collegiate football athletes who have not sustained a concussion. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: A diminution in SAC or ImPACT scores in concert with clinical symptoms and findings should be interpreted as evidence of a postconcussive event.
BACKGROUND: College football players sustain an average of 3 subconcussive blows to the head per game. Concussions correlate with decreases in standardized neurocognitive test scores. It is not known whether repetitive, subconcussive microtrauma associated with participation in a full season of collision sport affects neurocognitive test scores. HYPOTHESIS: No difference exists between preseason, midseason, and postseason Standardized Assessment of Concussion (SAC) and Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) scores when collegiate football players sustain subconcussive microtrauma from forceful, repetitive contact activity. STUDY DESIGN: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. METHODS: Fifty-eight members of a Division III collegiate football team who had no known concussion during the season voluntarily completed the SAC and ImPACT instruments preseason, midseason, and postseason. A repeated measures analysis of variance was used to compare the scores at the 3 time intervals (P < .05). RESULTS: No statistically significant decreases were found in overall SAC or ImPACT scores or in any of the domains or composites of the tests (P < .05) when preseason, midseason, and postseason scores were evaluated. CONCLUSIONS: ImPACT and SAC neurocognitive test scores are not significantly altered by a season of repetitive contact in collegiate football athletes who have not sustained a concussion. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: A diminution in SAC or ImPACT scores in concert with clinical symptoms and findings should be interpreted as evidence of a postconcussive event.
Authors: T W McAllister; L A Flashman; A Maerlender; R M Greenwald; J G Beckwith; T D Tosteson; J J Crisco; P G Brolinson; S M Duma; A-C Duhaime; M R Grove; J H Turco Journal: Neurology Date: 2012-05-16 Impact factor: 9.910
Authors: Thomas W McAllister; James C Ford; Laura A Flashman; Arthur Maerlender; Richard M Greenwald; Jonathan G Beckwith; Richard P Bolander; Tor D Tosteson; John H Turco; Rema Raman; Sonia Jain Journal: Neurology Date: 2013-12-11 Impact factor: 9.910
Authors: Michael W Collins; Anthony P Kontos; Erin Reynolds; Christopher D Murawski; Freddie H Fu Journal: Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc Date: 2013-12-12 Impact factor: 4.342
Authors: William P Meehan; Alex M Taylor; Paul Berkner; Noah J Sandstrom; Mark W Peluso; Matthew M Kurtz; Alvaro Pascual-Leone; Rebekah Mannix Journal: J Neurotrauma Date: 2015-07-20 Impact factor: 5.269
Authors: Thomas A Buckley; Jessie R Oldham; Daniel J Watson; Nicholas G Murray; Barry A Munkasy; Kelsey M Evans Journal: Med Sci Sports Exerc Date: 2019-01 Impact factor: 5.411