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"These current findings also underscore the critical need for careful evaluation and management of concussions in younger athletes and caution in not allowing a concussed young athlete to return to play until they have recovered," Dr. Lovell stressed.

A concussion is any alteration in mental status resulting from the brain being jolted inside of the skull due to a blow to the head or upper body. Symptoms can include amnesia, dizziness, confusion, headache, nausea, disorientation, and sometimes loss of consciousness. "Generally, an athlete who sustains an initial concussion can fully recover as long as the brain has had time to heal before sustaining another hit," explained Dr. Lovell. "The tricky part is that concussion signs and symptoms are not always straightforward and the effects and severity of injury and safe return-to-play can be difficult to determine. Thus the need for careful clinical evaluation of symptoms and objective assessment of neurocognitive function with testing methods such as ImPACT."

ImPACT, developed by Dr. Lovell and colleagues at UPMC, is the most widely used computerized neurocognitive function test battery that athletes can complete on a laptop or desktop computer within about 30 minutes. In addition to the NFL, who initially pioneered the use of computer-based testing in sports, ImPACT also is used throughout numerous sports including automobile racing, ice hockey, soccer, rugby, skiing and snow boarding. It can precisely measure even the subtle effects of a concussion, such as decline in memory, information processing speed and reaction time, as well as symptom levels. Athletes can take an individual pre-season baseline test and store the data to use for comparison to post-injury test scores, if the athlete should sustain a concussion during the season.

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23-Jan-2006