@article{ref1,
title="Evaluation of a simple test of reaction time for baseline concussion testing in a population of high school athletes",
journal="Clinical journal of sport medicine",
year="2014",
author="MacDonald, James and Wilson, Julie and Young, Julie and Duerson, Drew and Swisher, Gail and Collins, Christy L. and Meehan, William P.",
volume="25",
number="1",
pages="43-48",
abstract="OBJECTIVE:: A common sequela of concussions is impaired reaction time. Computerized neurocognitive tests commonly measure reaction time. A simple clinical test for reaction time has been studied previously in college athletes; whether this test is valid and reliable when assessing younger athletes remains unknown. Our study examines the reliability and validity of this test in a population of high school athletes. <br><br>DESIGN:: Cross-sectional study. SETTING:: Two American High Schools. PARTICIPANTS:: High school athletes (N = 448) participating in American football or soccer during the academic years 2011 to 2012 and 2012 to 2013. INTERVENTIONS:: All study participants completed a computerized baseline neurocognitive assessment that included a measure of reaction time (RTcomp), in addition to a clinical measure of reaction time that assessed how far a standard measuring device would fall prior to the athlete catching it (RTclin). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:: Validity was assessed by determining the correlation between RTclin and RTcomp. Reliability was assessed by measuring the intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) between the repeated measures of RTclin and RTcomp taken 1 year apart. <br><br>RESULTS:: In the first year of study, RTclin and RTcomp were positively but weakly correlated (rs = 0.229, P < 0.001). In the second year, there was no significant correlation between RTclin and RTcomp (rs = 0.084, P = 0.084). Both RTclin [ICC = 0.608; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.434-0.728] and RTcomp (ICC = 0.691; 95% CI, 0.554-0.786) had marginal reliability. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS:: In a population of high school athletes, RTclin had poor validity when compared with RTcomp as a standard. Both RTclin and RTcomp had marginal test-retest reliability. Before considering the clinical use of RTclin in the assessment of sport-related concussions sustained by high school athletes, the factors affecting reliability and validity should be investigated further. CLINICAL RELEVANCE:: Reaction time impairment commonly results from concussion and is among the most clinically important measures of the condition. The device evaluated in this study has previously been investigated as a reaction time measure in college athletes. This study investigates the clinical generalizability of the device in a younger population. VIDEO ABSTRACT:: A video abstract showing how the RTclin device is used in practice is available as Supplemetal Digital Content 1, http://links.lww.com/JSM/A43.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1050-642X",
doi="10.1097/JSM.0000000000000096",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/JSM.0000000000000096"
}