Relation Between Repetitive Head Traumas and Academic Performance of Non-Concussed High School Athletes: A Comparison of High And Low Contact Sports

Abstract

Between Repetitive Head Traumas and Academic Performance of Non-Concussed High School Athletes: A Comparison of High And Low Contact Sports. Arch Sports Med Abstract Objectives: To assess the relation of repeated subconcussive head traumas and the academic performance and neuropsychological functioning of non-concussed high school athletes participating in high and low levels of contact sports. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: High school sports Patients or Other Participants: A total of 641 non-concussed high school athletes, consisting of 464 males and 177 females participating in a variety of sports. Intervention: The independent variables are the two levels of contact sport groups were identified, High and Low Contact groups, who were assumed to sustain varied degrees of repetitive subclinical head traumas, based on epidemiological concussion data. Main Outcome Measures: The independent variables were the High and Low Contact Groups. The dependent variables were (1) baseline test results of the Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive (ImPACT) and (2) grade point averages (GPA) across four quarters of the school year. Results: High Contact athletes obtained lower GPAs and had significantly poorer scores in ImPACT Visual Motor Speed and Reaction Time than the Low Contact athletes. Conclusions: The findings, with medium effect sizes, suggested that repetitive subconcussive head traumas are associated with significant lowering of school grades and neuropsychological functioning in high school athletes. The clinical relevance of this association is not known and the findings of this study should be cautiously interpreted.