The results of this systematic review identify the consistent and prevalent indicators of concussion and their associations , derived from the strongest evidence in the published literature .
BACKGROUND Currently , there is no evidence -based definition for concussion that is being uniformly applied in clinical and research setting s. OBJECTIVE To conduct a systematic review of the highest- quality literature about concussion and to assemble evidence about the prevalence and associations of key indicators of concussion .
The goal was to establish an evidence -based foundation from which to derive , in future work , a definition , diagnostic criteria , and prognostic indicators for concussion .
FUNCTIONAL BRAIN ABNORMALITIES ARE RELATED TO CLINICAL RECOVERY AND TIME TO RETURN‐TO‐PLAY IN ATHLETES
OBJECTIVE The relationship between athlete reports of symptoms , neurophysiological activation , and neuropsychological functioning is investigated in a sample of high school athletes . METHODS All athletes were evaluated using functional magnetic resonance imaging ( fMRI ) , a computer-based battery of neurocognitive tests , and a subjective symptom scale . Athletes were evaluated within approximately 1 week of injury and again after clinical recovery using all assessment modalities . RESULTS This study found that abnormal fMRI results during the first week of recovery predicted clinical recovery . As a group , athletes who demonstrated hyperactivation on fMRI scans at the time of their first fMRI scan demonstrated a more prolonged clinical recovery than athletes who did not demonstrate hyperactivation at the time of their first fMRI scan . CONCLUSION These results demonstrate the relationship between neurophysiological , neuropsychological , and subjective symptom data in a relatively large sample composed primarily of concussed high school athletes .  fMRI represents an important evolving technology for the underst and ing of brain recovery after concussion and may help shape return-to-play guidelines in the future
The results of this systematic review identify the consistent and prevalent indicators of concussion and their associations , derived from the strongest evidence in the published literature .
BACKGROUND Currently , there is no evidence -based definition for concussion that is being uniformly applied in clinical and research setting s. OBJECTIVE To conduct a systematic review of the highest- quality literature about concussion and to assemble evidence about the prevalence and associations of key indicators of concussion .
The goal was to establish an evidence -based foundation from which to derive , in future work , a definition , diagnostic criteria , and prognostic indicators for concussion .