Submission Date

4-24-2017

Document Type

Paper

Department

Neuroscience

Adviser

Joel Bish

Committee Member

Joel Bish

Committee Member

Jennifer Stevenson

Committee Member

Tristan Ashcroft

Department Chair

Ellen Dawley

Project Description

In recent years, there has been an upswing in the number of concussion diagnoses per year in the United States, particularly in young athletes with still-developing brains. Accompanying this recent trend is an increased amount of research on concussions and their long-term impacts. This ongoing research project collects and compares data from concussed and non-concussed individuals using various neuropsychological batteries, self-report surveys and participants’ EEG readings. Data analysis of the results from 51 participants indicates that previously concussed individuals differ from their non-concussed counterparts. Specifically, individuals who have suffered a concussion exhibit specific and occasionally idiosyncratic deficits in executive control and impulse control tasks. These behavioral and neurological patterns are remarkably similar to those exhibited by individuals with ADD/ADHD. While most symptoms tend to diminish over time, many of the aforementioned executive control deficits and markers last well beyond the self-reported symptoms of the injury.

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