Computer testing helps identify concussion
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - 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.