Cumulative effects of subsequent concussions on the neural patterns of young rugby athletes: data from event-related potentials

Figures & data

Figure 1. Number of symptoms (a) and symptom severity score (b) according to concussion history.

Table 1. Age, SCAT2 results and ERP (P3b) parameters according to the concussion history of the athletes.

	CH (n = 16)	NCH (n = 8)	P-value^a
Age, y	22.06 ± 5.53	21.88 ± 4.32	0.93
SCAT2
Number of symptoms	3.56 ± 2.85	2.63 ± 2.07	0.37
Symptoms’ severity	7.56 ± 8.43	6.38 ± 6.89	1
EPRs
Amplitude, V
P3b Fz	2.95 ± 1.52	5.38 ± 2.21	0.022*
P3b Cz	3.07 ± 1.40	6.64 ± 3.34	0.019*
P3b Pz	3.17 ± 1.09	7.1 ± 2.76	0.005**
P3b Fz/Pz ratio	0.99 ± 0.56	0.8 ± 0.26	0.37
Latency, ms
P3b Fz	341.74 ± 13.27	329.97 ± 14.93	0.066
P3b Cz	336.79 ± 12.98	328.2 ± 16.33	0.17
P3b Pz	337.75 ± 10.24	329.88 ± 14.55	0.14

Abbreviations: CH, concussion history; NCH, no concussion history; y, year; SCAT, sports concussion assessment tool; ERP, event-related potential; Fz, frontal; Cz, central; Pz, parietal recording sites.

a: Student, Welch t-test or Mann-Whitney according to normality.

Figure 2. Grand average ERPs to target stimuli recorded in concussion history group (a) and in group without history of concussion (b). Amplitude, in µv, is represented along Y-axis while latency is along the X-axis and in ms. ERPS are represented with the N1 exogenous followed by endogenous responses: N2, P3a and P3b. (c) P3b amplitude according to recording site and concussion history. (d) ROC/AUC analysis of the ability of P3b amplitudes to discriminate athletes with a history of concussion from without.

Figure 3. Scatter plot of symptom severity and ERP P3b amplitude.

Table 2. Correlation between endorsed symptoms and ERP parameters.

	Amplitude (µV)			Latency (ms)
SCAT2	P3b Fz	P3b Cz	P3b Pz	P3b Fz	P3b Cz	P3b Pz
Number of symptoms	r = 0.27	r = 0.21	r = 0.3	r = − 0.13	r = 0.03	r = 0.04
	p = 0.22	p = 0.33	p = 0.16	p = 0.57	p = 0.91	p = 0.85
Symptom severity	r = 0.3	r = 0.27	r = 0.4	r = − 0.29	r = − 0.09	r = 0.003
	p = 0.16	p = 0.21	p = 0.06	p = 0.19	p = 0.66	p = 0.99