Ringside Test Gives Quick Concussion Diagnosis

(Army.mil)

Researchers at University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia found a common test for eye movements in reading that also offers a quick way to diagnose concussions at sports events. Their findings were published online in the journal Neurology (paid subscription required).

The research team evaluated the King-Devick test, designed as a test for saccadic eye movements, which enable the eyes to quickly scan printed text. For normal reading, saccadic eye movements require simultaneous and coordinated use of many different ocular muscles and four separate cranial nerves. Saccadic and other types of eye movements are frequently abnormal following a concussion.

The King-Devick test consists of a series of charts of numbers. The charts become progressively more difficult to read in a flowing manner because of increasingly more difficult spacing between the numbers. A score is derived from the number of errors in and speed of reading the charts.

The Penn research team administered the King-Devick test on 39 boxers and mixed-martial arts fighters at their matches. Scores on the test were significantly higher for fighters who had head trauma during their bouts. Fighters who lost consciousness had even higher post-fight scores compared to those who did not lose consciousness.

Test times improved by more than a second on average for participants who did not have head trauma, while average times for those who suffered head trauma worsened by 11.1 seconds. Fighters who lost consciousness were 18 seconds slower on the test after their bouts.

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