Citation

Bell CA, Rice L, Balcer MJ, Pearson R, Penning B, Alexander A, Roskelly J, Nogle S, Tomczyk CP, Tracey AJ, Loftin MC, Pollard-McGrandy AM, Zynda AJ, Covassin T, Park G, Rizzo JR, Hudson T, Rucker JC, Galetta SL, Balcer L, Kaufman DI, Grossman SN. J. Neurol. Sci. 2022; 442: e120445.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jns.2022.120445

PMID

36208585

Abstract

Although visual symptoms are common following concussion, quantitative measures of visual function are missing from concussion evaluation protocols on the athletic sideline. For the past half century, rapid automatized naming (RAN) tasks have demonstrated promise as quantitative neuro-visual assessment tools in the setting of head trauma and other disorders but have been previously limited in accessibility and scalability. The Mobile Interactive Cognitive Kit (MICK) App is a digital RAN test that can be downloaded on most mobile devices and can therefore provide a quantitative measure of visual function anywhere, including the athletic sideline. This investigation examined the feasibility of MICK App administration in a cohort of Division 1 college football players. Participants (n = 82) from a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 football team underwent baseline testing on the MICK app. Total completion times of RAN tests on the MICK app were recorded; magnitudes of best time scores and between-trial learning effects were determined by paired t-test. Consistent with most timed performance measures, there were significant learning effects between the two baseline trials for both RAN tasks on the MICK app: Mobile Universal Lexicon Evaluation System (MULES) (p < 0.001, paired t-test, mean improvement 13.3 s) and the Staggered Uneven Number (SUN) (p < 0.001, mean improvement 3.3 s). This study demonstrated that the MICK App can be feasibly administered in the setting of pre-season baseline testing in a Division I environment. These data provide a foundation for post-injury sideline testing that will include comparison to baseline in the setting of concussion.

Language: en

Keywords

Vision; Mobile Integrated Cognitive Kit (MICK); Mobile Universal Lexicon Evaluation System (MULES); Neuro-ophthalmology; Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN) tasks; Staggered Uneven Number (SUN) test