Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is associated with baseline child sport concussion assessment tool third edition scores in child hockey players.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to report baseline, preseason data for the Child-SCAT3, stratified by attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) status, and examine group differences in Child-SCAT3 performance between children with and without ADHD. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: Young male hockey players (n = 304), aged 8-12 years, were administered the Child-SCAT3 during pre-season. Child-SCAT3 measures included a 20-item symptom scale, a Standardised Assessment of Concussion Child Version (SAC-C), a modified Balance Error Scoring System (m-BESS), a tandem gait task, and a coordination test. RESULTS: Children with ADHD (n = 20) endorsed significantly more symptoms (d = 0.95) and greater symptom severity (d = 1.13) compared to children without ADHD. No statistically significant differences were found between groups on Child-SCAT3 measures of cognitive or physical functioning (e.g. balance and coordination). CONCLUSIONS: ADHD should be considered when interpreting Child-SCAT3 scores, especially symptom reporting, in the context of concussion assessment. Better understanding of symptom reporting in uninjured child athletes with ADHD can inform the clinical interpretation of symptoms at baseline and following an actual or suspected concussion. Normative data for the Child-SCAT3 that is not stratified by or otherwise accounts for ADHD status should be used with caution when appraising performance of children with ADHD.

Investigating the Efficacy of a Community Support Network Rehabilitation Intervention for Improving Resiliency, Quality of Life, and Neurocognitive Function in Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence-Caused Brain Injury: Protocol for a Feasibility Study.

BACKGROUND: Globally, approximately 1 in 3 women experience intimate partner violence (IPV) in their lifetime. Brain injury (BI) is a common, yet often unrecognized, consequence of IPV. BIs caused by IPV tend to be mild, occur repetitively over the course of months or years, are remote in time, and result in chronic symptoms. Similar to BI from other causes, therapeutic treatment for women with IPV-caused BI (IPV-BI) is crucial to help resolve any physical or cognitive impairments, enhance the quality of life (QoL), and minimize longer-term neurodegeneration. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the feasibility and efficacy of a community support network (CSN) rehabilitation intervention regarding its impact on resiliency, QoL, and neurocognitive function. METHODS: In this pre- and postexperimental design, women (aged 18 to 50 years) who are survivors of IPV and IPV-BI will be recruited from various community organizations serving survivors of IPV. Exclusion criteria will include current pregnancy and any diagnosed neurological disorder known to affect cerebrovascular, neurocognitive, or sensorimotor function. A CSN rehabilitation intervention that includes aerobic exercise, cognitive training, mindfulness meditation, and counseling will be administered. A trauma-informed approach will be integrated into the design and implementation of the program. Furthermore, the program will include a participant navigator who will provide trauma- and violence-informed advocacy and systems navigation support to participants, in addition to facilitating a monthly peer support group. The intervention will be provided for 2.5 hours a day and 2 days a week for 3 months. Participants will complete psychological assessments and provide clinic-demographic information in the first assessment. In the second (before intervention), third (after intervention), and fourth (at follow-up) sessions, they will complete tests of resiliency, QoL, and neurocognition. The estimated sample size is 100. The objective of this study will be accomplished by quantitatively measuring resiliency, QoL, and neurocognition before and immediately after the intervention. A follow-up assessment will occur 3 months after the completion of the intervention to evaluate the maintenance of any improvements in function. One-way ANOVAs will be used to evaluate the intervention outcome across the testing times. Relationships among various variables will be explored using regression analysis. RESULTS: We anticipate that the CSN rehabilitation intervention will be effective in improving resiliency, QoL, and neurocognitive function in women who have experienced IPV-BI. Furthermore, we anticipate that this intervention will be feasible in terms of study recruitment, adherence, and retention. CONCLUSIONS: The CSN rehabilitation intervention will have a positive impact on resiliency, QoL, and neurocognitive functions in survivors of IPV-BI. Subsequently, a comparative study will be conducted by recruiting a control group receiving usual care. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/54605.

Cortical activity and network organization underlying physical and cognitive exertion in active young adult athletes: Implications for concussion.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the neurophysiological correlates and brain network organization underlying physical and cognitive exertion in active young adults. DESIGN: Repeated measures. METHODS: Thirteen healthy adults completed three exertion tasks in a counterbalanced order: a graded working memory task (anti-saccade and serial addition task (ASAT)), a graded exercise task (cycling on a stationary bicycle) (EX) and a combined graded working memory and exercise task (ASAT+EX). All three tasks were performed under five levels of increasing difficulty. Continuous EEG was recorded in each session. Heart rate, perceived exertion and accuracy on the working memory task were recorded throughout. Power spectrum analysis and graph theoretical analysis was applied to the EEG data. RESULTS: Heart rate and perceived exertion increased with exercise load and in both the EX only and ASAT+EX tasks. Overall accuracy was equally high for the ASAT and ASAT+EX tasks. Analysis of EEG data showed there was an increase in theta power associated with the ASAT+EX task and increase in functional connectivity in the frontal regions of the brain compared with ASAT only task. Accuracy decreased in the last two blocks when the task was most difficult. This decrease in accuracy was associated with a decrease in theta power and a decrease in functional connectivity. CONCLUSIONS: Combined physical and mental exertion results in significant changes in perceived exertion, EEG theta power and network organization in healthy adults and will be valuable in revealing residual neurocognitive deficits after sports related concussion.

Older adults prioritize postural stability in the anterior-posterior direction to regain balance following volitional lateral step.

BACKGROUND: Postural control in the medial-lateral (ML) direction is of particular interest regarding the assessment of changes in postural control, as it is highly related to the risk of falling. OBJECTIVE: To determine the postural strategies used to regain balance following a voluntary lateral step and compare these strategies between young and older adults. METHODS: Sixteen older adults (60-90 years) and 14 young adults (20-40 years) were asked to stand quietly for 30s, walk in place and then take a lateral step and stand quietly (30s). Balance Post was divided into 10s intervals. Center of pressure displacement (CoP) and velocity (VCoP) in the anterio-posterior (AP) and ML directions were analyzed. RESULTS: In both groups, CoP and VCoP in AP and ML increased in Post1 compared to Pre (P<0.001). Dissimilar to young adults, VCoP-Post2, Post3 ML were larger than Pre (P=0.01) in older adults. Age correlated with all VCoP (Pre and Post) in both ML (P<0.05) and AP directions (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Dissimilar to young adults, older adults use different postural strategies in ML and AP directions and prioritized postural stability in the AP direction to recover balance after completing a lateral step. In the ML direction, older adults took up to 30s to regain balance. Considering that age was related to larger CoP displacement and velocity, the AP strategy to recover postural balance following a lateral step could become less efficient as older adults age and therefore increasing the risk of falls.

The Child Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (Child SCAT3): normative values and correspondence between child and parent symptom scores in male child athletes.

BACKGROUND: Children and youth are at increased risk of sustaining sport-related concussions. There is a need to develop age-specific tools to evaluate the effects of concussion. The objective of this study was to determine normative values for the Child Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (Child SCAT3) in child athletes and evaluate the symptom scoring agreement between the child and parent. METHODS: Child SCAT3 was administered to ice hockey players enrolled in a regional minor hockey association. Statistical analyses were performed to evaluate the differences between child and parent reporting as well as those based on age. RESULTS: 227 athletes (7-12 years of age) completed the Child SCAT3. 29 players reported a history of concussion. For the objective components, the average total Standard Assessment of Concussion adapted to a child version (SAC-C) score of 24.4 was made up by orientation (3.7), immediate memory (12.9), concentration (3.8) and delayed recall (3.9) sections. Average errors in the modified Balance Error Scoring System (BESS) were 1.6, tandem gait time 14.9 s and coordination score 0.95. For the subjective component, children reported an average of eight symptoms and a severity of 11; parents reported seven symptoms with a severity of 9. Overall, children reported higher symptom severity in comparison with their parents. In addition, parents significantly underestimated both physical and sleep-related symptoms in comparison with the children's scores. CONCLUSIONS: Results provide representative scores for the Child SCAT3 in young male ice hockey players. Clinicians should be aware that parents tend to underestimate their child's symptoms and symptom severity, particularly in the domains of physical symptoms and sleep. Encouraging objective symptom documentation with sleep or pain diaries, for example, may be useful for reliable clinical assessment in this age group.