Does Anxiety Affect Neuropsychological Assessment in Collegiate Athletes.

Does Anxiety Affect Neuropsychological Assessment in Collegiate Athletes. J Sport Rehabil. 2019 May 16;:1-17 Authors: Tomczyk CP, Shaver G, Hunt TN Abstract CLINICAL SCENARIO: Anxiety is a mental disorder that affects a large portion of the population, and may be problematic when evaluating brain injuries such as concussion. The reliance of cognitive testing in concussion protocols call for the examination of potential cognitive alterations commonly seen in athletes with anxiety. FOCUSED CLINICAL QUESTION: Does anxiety affect neuropsychological assessments in healthy college athletes? SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS: Three studies were included: one cross-sectional study and two prospective cohort studies. One study examined the effect of a range of psychological issues on concussion baseline testing in collegiate athletes. Another study examined the effect of anxiety on reaction time both before and after sport competition in college-aged athletes. The final study examined the effects of psychosocial issues on reaction time during demanding tasks in collegiate athletes. The first study reported slower simple and complex reaction times in anxious athletes. The second study found that athletes with high trait anxiety have slower reaction times both before and after competition. The third study reported that demanding tasks led to increased state anxiety which slowed reaction time. Overall, all three studies support the adverse...
Source: Journal of Sport Rehabilitation - Category: Sports Medicine Tags: J Sport Rehabil Source Type: research