Neuropsychological sequelae of light head injuries in older children 6 months after trauma.

Abstract

Fifty-six children, 9-13 years of age, underwent neuropsychological testing 4-8 months after concussion. They were individually matched with a control group on the variables of school grade, sex, and academic achievement. On 29 of the 32 test variables, the results of the control group were superior to those of the experimental group. Analysis of variance showed that the concussion factor explained most of the differences between the groups. The differences tended to decrease with increasing age, and to increase with increasing complexity of the tests. The results indicate that neuropsychological sequelae after concussion may be demonstrated, even when there are few subjective complaints and no perceptible lags in academic achievement.