Researchers Find Surprising Differences in How Teens Experience Concussion

Drawing from a large University of Kentucky database, researchers from the University of Kentucky’s Department of Psychology conducted a study of 37 athletes from the ages of 12 to 17 in order to explore post-concussion changes in physical, emotional, and cognitive symptoms over time. Of the 37 participants, 22 demonstrated post-concussive emotional symptoms. Of those, 23 percent were sensitive to light, while 14 percent were sensitive to noise. In comparison, of the 15 teens without emotional symptoms, 13 percent were sensitive to light and no teens were sensitive to noise. “We discovered a bidirectional relationship between both emotional symptoms developing in conjunction with physical symptoms, and also emotional symptoms developing because of the physical symptoms,” said a lead author of the study. While the findings are preliminary and require a larger sample size to predict outcomes with more confidence, the research offers the potential to provide teens with better treatment plans based on their unique concussions symptoms. To read more about this study, click here.