A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury that can occur after a blow to the head or violent movement, often as a result of sports injuries or vehicle collisions. Symptoms can include headaches, dizziness, cognitive deficits, and more. The types of symptoms and their severity depend on multiple factors, such as the nature of the injury, age, sex, and the effectiveness of treatment or symptom management—that's why it is essential to measure symptoms over time using tools like the RPQ.
The RPQ asks patients to rate how much of a problem these symptoms have been in the past 24 hours, compared to before the injury occurred.
Loss of concentration and memory issues are key symptoms of post-concussion syndrome, and other symptoms such as loss of sleep and fatigue may further exacerbate a patient’s ability to perform cognitively demanding tasks.
While it's clear that concussions affect cognition, the precise nature of the effects can vary by the regions of the brain affected, the time since the injury occurred, and patient characteristics such as baseline functioning, age, sex, and physical health. That's why measuring cognition and symptoms associated with concussion is so important when treating a unique individual patient.
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