Sex-Related Differences In Visuomotor Skills, Cognition, And Emotionality Following Concussive Injury

Sex-related differences are commonly overlooked in most biomedical fields including concussion research. Much of the current concussion literature focuses on the analyses of males or a combined approach, lacking the separation of sexes for analytical purposes.

Methods: Data were collected from 299 university athletes with varying concussion histories. Kinematic visuomotor measures and emotional symptoms were assessed through a basic visuomotor task and SCAT self-report measures.

Results: Visuomotor performance varied substantially with concussion history and sex, with multiple concussions being linked to better performance. Emotionality results revealed females with 2 or more concussions have higher odds of being irritable, while 21-22-year-old females have lower odds of being nervous/anxious compared to their younger counterparts. No significant emotionality results were discovered for males.

Conclusion: This study underscores distinctive recovery metrics between sexes in emotional and visuomotor domains following concussive injury. Findings suggest the need for tailored diagnostics and treatment for athletes following injury.