Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-5-2019
Keywords
cognitive load, female, long-term, motor load, mTBI, reaching, upper extremity, visual attention
Abstract
Aim: We examined the long-term effects of concussions in young adult females on visuomotor behavior during a visually-guided reaching task of various complexities. Materials & methods: 20 females with a history of longer than 6 months since a concussion and 20 healthy females quickly and accurately performed a delayed reach to a previously cued target. Results: As both cognitive and motor load increased, task performance decreased for both groups (p < 0.05). However, contrary to our primary hypothesis, no differences in task performance were found between the two experimental groups (p > 0.05). Conclusion: The young adult females with a remote history of concussion demonstrated no deficits in visuomotor behavior on an attention-mediated reaching task as compared with control participants.
Lay abstract: Current literature is inconclusive regarding the long-term effects of concussion. Some have argued that the differing results are due to many uncontrolled factors in study design. In this study, 20 females with a history of concussion more than 6 months ago and 20 healthy females performed a reaching task under different levels of difficulty. As the reaching task got harder, both groups had greater difficulty doing the task quickly and accurately (p < 0.05). Surprisingly, however, no differences in reaching performance existed between the two groups (p > 0.05). Young adult females with a remote history of concussion demonstrated no greater problems with complicated reaching tasks when compared with control participants when experimental conditions are tightly controlled.
Recommended Citation
Fueger, C., Sergio, L. E., Heuer, S., Petrovska, L., & Huddleston, W. E. (2019). Remote concussion history does not affect visually-guided reaching in young adult females. Concussion, 4(3). doi: 10.2217/cnc-2019-0007