Neuropsychological investigation: the effects of sport-related concussions on executive functioning and ageing

Abstract

The long-term effects of sport-related concussions (SRCs) on cognition remain largely unknown (Khurana & Kaye, 2012). The purpose of this study was to investigate the relations between executive functions, SRCs and ageing. Fifty older and younger athletes with and without a history of SRCs were asked to complete a series of executive measures. It was hypothesized that participants with a history of SRC would perform worse on tasks of cognitive flexibility and impulse control/inhibition, and that older participants would perform worse than younger participants. Results indicated that those who were older and had a history of SRC demonstrated worse task-switching and impulse control/inhibition.

It was concluded that Individuals with a history of SRCs appear to be less efficient at simultaneously inhibiting irrelevant stimuli and shifting their attention between two tasks. Furthermore, the inability to effectively allocate attention between multiple stimuli persists with age.