Atory-based measurements of attention and executive function in this population. A longitudinal analysis of recovery patterns of these measures among adolescents is central to understanding the effects of concussions across the age spectrum. Purpose This study prospectively and longitudinally examined laboratory-based measures of attention and executive function in concussed adolescents sequentially during a 2-month period after injury. Methods Two measures of attention and executive function, the Attentional Network Test and the Task-Switching Test, were administered to 20 concussed adolescents within 72 h postinjury as well as at 1 wk, 2 wk, 1 month, and 2 months postinjury. Twenty healthy, matched control subjects were similarly assessed at the same time intervals. Data were analyzed by two-way, mixed-effects ANOVA to determine the effect of group and time on the dependent variables. Results Compared with control subjects, the concussed group exhibited a significantly greater switch cost on the Task-Switching Test (P = 0.038, mean difference value = 38 ms) and a significantly greater reaction time for the Attentional Network Test conflict effect component (P = 0.015, mean difference value = 34 ms) for up to 2 months after injury. Conclusions Concussed adolescents have difficulty recovering executive function after injury and may require extended recuperation time before full recovery is achieved. Evaluations focusing on attention and executive function can be useful additions in the assessment and follow-up after head injury....

Sports‐related concussion is a serious health challenge, and females are at higher risk of sustaining a sports‐related concussion compared to males. Although there are many studies that investigate outcomes following concussion, females remain an understudied population, despite representing a large proportion of the organized sports community. In this review, we provide a summary of studies that investigate sex‐related differences in outcome following sports‐related concussion. Moreover, we provide an introduction to the methods used to study sex‐related differences after sports‐related concussion, including common clinical and cognitive measures, neuroimaging techniques, as well as biomarkers. A literature search inclusive of articles published to March 2020 was performed using PubMed. The studies were reviewed and discussed with regard to the methods used. Findings from these studies remain mixed with regard to the effect of sex on clinical symptoms, concussion‐related alterations in brain structure and function, and recovery trajectories. Nonetheless, there is initial evidence to suggest that sex‐related differences following concussion are important to consider in efforts to develop objective biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of concussion. Additional studies on this topic are, however, clearly needed to improve our understanding of sex‐related differences following concussion, as well as to understand their neurobiological underpinnings. Such studies will help pave the way toward more personalized clinical management and treatment of sports‐related concussion.

Prior studies suggest that concussion may lead to an increased risk of a subsequent time-loss sport-related injury, but the mechanisms responsible are unknown. We measured the symptom and dual-task gait outcomes for athletes initially post-concussion and after clinical recovery. Participants then self-reported any additional injuries incurred in the year after their concussion. Forty-two athletes (52% female, mean age=16.8±3.2 years) completed the study. They underwent a dual-task gait evaluation and symptom inventory within 21 days post-concussion, and again after they were deemed clinically recovered. Approximately one year later, participants documented if they had sustained any subsequent sport-related injuries. Repeated measures ANOVAs were used to evaluate changes in dual-task gait and symptoms across time and between groups. A significant group*time interaction (p=0.02) indicated that the group who went on to sustain a subsequent time-loss injury after returning to sports (n=15) demonstrated significant average walking speed dual-task cost worsening across time (-17.9±9.1% vs. -25.1±12.5%; p=0.007). In contrast, the group who did not sustain an additional injury walked with consistent dual-task cost values across time (-25.2±9.2% vs. -24.6±8.4%; p=0.76). Symptoms improved for all participants (main effect of time p<0.001; PCSS= 25.0±16.9 vs. 2.8±7.5; p<0.001), but did not differ between groups (p=0.77). Significant dual-task gait cost worsening throughout concussion recovery was associated with time-loss injuries during sports in the year after a concussion. These findings indicate that worsening ability to execute a concurrent gait and cognitive task may relate to the risk of incurring an injury during sports after clinical concussion recovery.

Recent work has identified deficits in dual-task gait balance control for up to 2 months after adolescent concussion; however, how resumption of preinjury physical activities affects recovery is unknown. The objective of this study is to examine how return to activity (RTA) affects recovery from concussion on measures of symptom severity, cognition, and balance control during single-task and dual-task walking. Nineteen adolescents with concussion who returned to preinjury activity within 2 months after injury and 19 uninjured, matched controls completed symptom inventories, computerized cognitive testing, and single-task and dual-task gait analyses. Concussion participants were assessed at five time points: within 72 h, 1 wk, 2 wk, 1 month, and 2 months postinjury. Control participants were assessed at the same time points as their matched concussion counterparts. RTA day was documented as the postinjury day in which physical activity participation was allowed. The effect of returning to physical activity was assessed by examining the percent change on each dependent variable across time before and directly after the RTA. Data were analyzed by two-way mixed effects ANOVAs. After the RTA day, concussion participants significantly increased their total center-of-mass medial/lateral displacement (P = 0.009, ηp = .175) and peak velocity (P = 0.048, ηp = 0.104) during dual-task walking when compared with pre-RTA data, whereas no changes for the concussion group or between groups were detected on measures of single-task walking, forward movement, or cognition. Adolescents with concussion displayed increased center-of-mass medial/lateral displacement and velocity during dual-task walking after RTA, suggesting a regression of recovery in gait balance control. This study reinforces the need for a multifaceted approach to concussion management and continued monitoring beyond the point of clinical recovery.