Grant: Master's Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Concussion is among the top five injuries that occur in collegiate sports, with an overall prevalence rate 4.81 concussions per 10,000 athlete-exposures (AE) (i.e. per athlete per game or practice). Recent evidence suggests that athletes are more than twice as likely to experience subsequent musculoskeletal injury and six times more likely to receive another sport-related concussion (SRC) following recovery from an SRC than their non-concussed teammates. Incomplete recovery also increases the risk of long term cognitive impairments. It has been suggested that cognitive deficits may persist beyond physical recovery and are not detected by current Return to Sport (RTS) protocols. The proposed study aims to evaluate the presence and extent of decision-making deficits in athletes, and whether deficits persist 60-days after they complete the RTS protocol from a recent SRC. Male and female athletes on Laurier varsity teams will be recruited to complete a virtual reality task requiring them to approach two sets of virtual pedestrians (VP) that converge at various speeds and decide how they will cross their intersection. The VP speeds at which participants slow down to let the VPs pass first, instead of speeding up to pass between them, will be analyzed to determine the longer-term effects of a recent SRC on decision making behaviours. Findings from the proposed study will inform whether cognitive deficits may persist after resolution of symptoms, provide insight into the possible mechanism behind the elevated risks of injury that follow recovery from a recent SRC, and help develop more comprehensive RTS protocols that ensure that athletes are returning to sport at a safer time point and reducing their risk of future injury.