@article{ref1,
title="Association of visual tracking metrics with post-concussion symptomatology",
journal="Frontiers in neurology",
year="2018",
author="Maruta, Jun and Spielman, Lisa A. and Rajashekar, Umesh and Ghajar, Jamshid",
volume="9",
number="",
pages="e611-e611",
abstract="Attention impairment may provide a cohesive neurobiological explanation for clusters of clinical symptoms that occur after a concussion; therefore, objective quantification of attention is needed. Visually tracking a moving target is an attention-dependent sensorimotor function, and eye movement can be recorded easily and objectively to quantify performance. Our previous work suggested the utility of gaze-target synchronization metrics of a predictive visual tracking task in concussion screening and recovery monitoring. Another objectively quantifiable performance measure frequently suggested for concussion screening is simple visuo-manual reaction time (simple reaction time, SRT). Here, we used visual tracking and SRT tasks to assess changes between pre- and within-2-week post-concussion performances and explore their relationships to post-concussion symptomatology. Athletes participating in organized competitive sports were recruited. Visual tracking and SRT records were collected from the recruited athlete pool as baseline measures over a 4-year period. When athletes experienced a concussion, they were re-assessed within 2 weeks of their injury. We present the data from a total of 29 concussed athletes. Post-concussion symptom burden was assessed with the Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire and subscales of the Brain Injury Screening Questionnaire. Post-concussion changes in visual tracking and SRT performance were examined using a paired <i>t</i>-test. Correlations of changes in visual tracking and SRT performance to symptom burden were examined using Pearson's coefficients. Post-concussion changes in visual tracking performance were not consistent among the athletes. However, changes in several visual tracking metrics had moderate to strong correlations to symptom scales (<i>r</i> up to 0.68). On the other hand, while post-concussion SRT performance was reduced (<i>p</i> < 0.01), the changes in the performance metrics were not meaningfully correlated to symptomatology (<i>r</i> ≤ 0.33). <br><br>RESULTS suggest that visual tracking performance metrics reflect clinical symptoms when assessed within 2 weeks of concussion. Evaluation of concussion requires assessments in multiple domains because the clinical profiles are heterogeneous. While most individuals show recovery within a week of injury, others experience prolonged recovery periods. Visual tracking performance metrics may serve as a biomarker of debilitating symptoms of concussion implicating attention as a root cause of such pathologies.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1664-2295",
doi="10.3389/fneur.2018.00611",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2018.00611"
}