Browsing by Author "Kokko, Sini"

Goals: The connection between concussion history and learning disabilities has not been studied widely. The same symptoms (e.g. attention deficits) are related to both concussions and learning disabilities. Learning disabilities and concussion history have both been linked to deviant baseline-scores and increased risk of getting a new concussion than controls. Interaction between concussion history and learning disability has been studied hardly at all. The objective of present study is to examine the effect of concussion history and learning disability on attention in a baseline-study of Finnish male junior ice hockey players. Methods: Study sample was part of baseline-study of Heads in the Game -project. Data was gathered in the summer 2016. A total sample consisted of 955 male junior ice hockey players (aged 12-21 years) of whom 1.9 % reported both concussion history and learning disability, 5.8 % reported learning disability and 29.3 % reported at least one previous concussion. Attention was measured via OmaKesky and d2-R. Data was analyzed using multivariance analyses controlled by age. Results and conclusions: Concussion history was not related to attention. Learning disabilities were related to higher amount of self-reported attention deficits in OmaKesky and to weaker accuracy in d2-R than controls. The deviant functioning observed in learning disabilities at baseline must be taken into consideration when suspecting a concussion in a way that functioning after concussion is compared to person's own baseline rather than to age-group norms. The interaction between concussion history and learning disabilities was not found in present study. However, people with both concussion history and learning disability, reported significantly more attention deficits than and a group of only concussion history or controls. The interaction between concussion history and learning disability on cognitive abilities should be studied more in the future.