Acute motor, neurocognitive and neurophysiological change following concussion injury in Australian amateur football. A prospective multimodal investigation

OBJECTIVES: This multimodal study investigated the motor, neurocognitive and neurophysiological responses following a sports related concussion injury in the acute-phase (up to 10 days) in sub-elite Australian football players. DESIGN: Between-group, repeated measures. METHODS: Over the course of one season (six months), 43 male players from one football club (25.1±4.5 years) were assessed for fine motor dexterity, visuomotor reaction time, implicit learning and attention. Motor cortex excitability and inhibition were assessed using transcranial magnetic stimulation. RESULTS: Of the 43 players, eight suffered concussion injuries, and were compared to 15 non-concussed players (active control) who returned for follow up testing. Post-concussion assessments using the aforementioned tests were carried out at 48 and 96h, and 10 days. Compared to the non-concussed players, those who suffered concussion showed slowed fine dexterity (P=0.02), response (P=0.02) and movement times (P=0.01) 48h post-concussion. Similarly, attentional performance was reduced in the concussed group at all time points (48h: PCONCLUSIONS: This study has demonstrated that acutely concussed Australian football players show abnormalities in motor, cognitive and neurophysiological measures with variable rates of recovery. These findings suggest that measuring the recovery of concussed athletes should incorporate a range of testing modalities rather than relying on one area of measurement in determining return to play. KW: Australian rules football Language: en