Reduced heart rate variability and lower cerebral blood flow associated with poor cognition during recovery following concussion

Although physiological deficits such as altered cerebral blood flow (CBF), and autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysregulation have been reported following a concussion, the relationship between CBF and ANS with functional outcome post-injury remains unclear. Our present study was designed to examine heart-rate variability (HRV) using percentage of successive NN intervals (pNN50) and CBF on day-3 (T1), day-21 (T2), and day-90 (T3) following a concussion in collegiate athletes (N  = 31) in comparison to non-injured controls (N = 31).

Source: Autonomic Neuroscience: Basic and Clinical - April 28, 2019 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Sushmita Purkayastha, Benjamin Williams, Megan Murphy, Sydney Lyng, Tonia Sabo, Kathleen R. Bell Source Type: research