An exploratory consideration of cognition and physiology in athletes following concussion

Abstract

A mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), colloquially known as a concussion, is an injury of the brain that often results in significant functional impairment for days, weeks, or even months. While the most common symptoms of concussion have been well documented and studies frequently note a deficit in either higher-level cognitive functioning and autonomic physiological control, there is a lack of research describing the effect of concussion on executive functioning and heart rate variability (HRV). The aim of this study was to address gaps in literature by describing changes in an individual’s executive functioning and physiology simultaneously following a concussion using two investigative approaches, using the theory of neurovisceral integration as a guiding framework. Secondary data from University of Regina athletes was used to examine baseline executive functioning (measured by Neurotracker®) and athlete HRV transformed from ECG. These results were subsequently compared to the same measures postinjury. Prior to review of data from the 2019-2020 academic year, there was an expectation that occurrence of a concussion would be associated with a decrease in Neurotracker® performance, Mean R-R intervals (Mean R-R), and Root-Mean-Square-Difference of successive R-R intervals (RMSSD) while also being associated with increases in Low-Frequency/High-Frequency (LF/HF) ratio and Standard Deviation 2/Standard Deviation 1 (SD2/SD1) ratios. Across a sample of eight participants, only one participant experienced the expected change in variable while the two participants that experienced symptoms the longest, featured smaller deviations from their baselines. My study was exploratory in nature and suggests directions for future research.