Browsing by Subject "toistuva aivotärähdys"

Objective: Concussions are typically linked to high-speed sports. Within the domain of acquired brain injuries, particularly children and adolescents have been identified as being at an elevated risk. In general, concussions are associated with relatively rapid recovery rates. To this end, the aim of the current study was to examine whether previous history of concussions of the sports player may be associated with cumulative effects on cognitive functions, difficulties with balance, and/ or increasing self-evaluated symptoms. The participants underwent a preseason baseline evaluation. Methods: The data used in this study were collected from 751 Finnish youngsters aged 12-20, who were junior ice-hockey players during the summer of 2015. Data collection focused on cognitive functioning (verbal and visual memory, visuomotor speed, reaction speed, impulse control, orientation, attention, and reading speed), balance control, and self-reported symptoms. The data were categorized on the basis of both the number and the severity of the participant's previous concussions, resulting in three groups as follows: (1) control group (no history of concussions; 494 players), (2) the concussion group 1 (1-2 concussions, which did not involve loss of consciousness; 123 players), and (3) the concussion group 2 (at least one concussion, accompanied by loss of consciousness, or at least 3 concussions, which did not involve loss of consciousness; 92 players). In the data analysis, between-group comparisons were performed with respect to cognitive functioning, balance control, as well as the quality and quantity of self-reported symptoms. Results: Taken together, the current results indicated that all the junior ice-hockey players with a history of concussions had recovered to such an extent that they did not significantly differ from the controls in either measures of cognitive functioning or balance control. However, self-reported symptoms increased with the brain injury severity and frequency. The self-report form used in this study comprised a total of 22 symptoms, of which five (vomiting, headache, difficulty with falling asleep, feeling mentally foggy) yielded statistically significant differences between the concussion groups. The findings further suggested that the measures used to obtain the baseline level of functioning of the participants may not be of sufficient sensitivity to reliably discriminate those with a history of concussions from controls in cognitive functioning and balance control.