To establish baseline concussion testing scores in collegiate and professional athletes and to compare values between tests.   

It is known that sports-related concussions affect many brain functions, including vision, cognition, and memory. Concussion also causes abnormal NPC (near point of convergence) at a higher rate. The SCAT-3 (Sport Concussion Assessment Tool, 3^rd edition), and MULES (Mobile Universal Lexicon Evaluation System), a rapid automatized naming (RAN) test, have proven effective in detecting sports-related concussions. However, less is known about the role of the SUN (Staggered Uneven Number) test, a new number-based RAN test, and NPC in concussion diagnosis as well as the relationship between concussion tests and NPC.

We performed a cross-sectional observational study and administered the SCAT 3, the MULES, the SUN, and measured NPC on 69 collegiate/professional athletes without history of concussion. The tests within the SCAT-3 include the SAC (Standardized Assessment of Concussion), mBESS (Modified Balance Error Scoring System), and the TTG (Timed Tandem Gait). A summary of the participants, the scores taken at baseline, and any associations between NPC and MULES time were evaluated.  

Among 69 athletes aged 18-24, on average, total SAC score was 26.1±2.3 s, best trial time for the TTG was 12.6±2.3 s, total mBESS was 11.1±4.482 s, best MULES time and errors were 38.0 s and 0.77, respectively, and best SUN time and errors were 49.5 s and 1.7, respectively. Average NPC seen at baseline was 1.4±1.5 cm. Higher NPC at baseline was associated with a lower MULES time (p=0.03, linear regression).

This study establishes baseline values for NPC, SCAT3, and RAN test scores for collegiate and professional athletes in the NYC area. Future studies comparing these baseline values with those obtained after concussion will help us understand if NPC and newer tests such as SUN will be helpful in diagnosing concussion.