A-66 Clinical Neuropsychology Journal Articles about Concussion from 2010-2020

Abstract Purpose Concussions are a major public health concern and are caused by falls, motor vehicle accidents, sports-related injuries, and assaults. Concussion research increased dramatically in recent decades, with 1,015 articles about concussion listed in PubMed in 2020, up from 30 in 2000. The focus of concussion research is evolving from assessment tools towards education, biomarkers, and intervention. Little is known about the topics of concussion research in clinical neuropsychology, but this knowledge might direct research efforts in the future. Data Selection We coded the content of titles of concussion articles published in 12 clinical neuropsychological journals from 2010-2020. This project is part of a study about the cultural and multicultural content of clinical neuropsychology articles. From this larger dataset, titles that included the terms concussion, sub-concussive, mild traumatic brain injury were collected (n=317). Data Synthesis Content in titles for concussions articles were, in order, sports (29.0%), children/adolescents (23.3%), emotion and personality issues (23.0%), post-concussive symptoms (12.9%), psychiatric symptoms (12.9%), military (15.8%), sex differences (2.5%), multiple concussions (2.5%), cultural or multicultural neuropsychology (2.2%), and older adults (1.3%). Conclusions Clinical neuropsychology research is proportionately over-focused on sports concussion to the exclusion of other causes of concussion. That said, sports concussion is easier to study than other causes of concussion and thus, this work has tremendous value for the field. Concussion research would best serve public health by focusing more on sex differences, multicultural issues, and other individual difference factors that alter risk for and recovery from concussion.