Effect of Sex and History of Concussion on Spatial Memory Scores: A Retrospective Study
Open Access
- Author:
- Farantzos, Anna
- Area of Honors:
- Kinesiology
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Semyon Slobounov, Thesis Supervisor
Lacy Marie Alexander, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- Concussion
spatial memory
sex differences
concussion history - Abstract:
- Concussions can occur due to a variety of injury mechanisms. Since the brain can move in many different directions during an impact, multiple areas of the brain may be injured. When combined, these components result in a complicated injury with numerous resulting symptoms. These symptoms can be debilitating by negatively affecting many aspects of cognition and daily living. In this study, participants were cognitively tested through a virtual reality testing modality. The system evaluates participants’ spatial memory, reaction time, and balance. For the scope of this study, only spatial memory was examined. The spatial memory scores of four different subject groups were assessed and compared. Subject groups included females with a history of concussion, females without a history of concussion, males with a history of concussion, and males without a history of concussion. Analysis revealed that between the two groups without a history of concussion, males had higher spatial memory scores than females. This result was not significant but is important to include with analysis of data and examine for potential clinical relevance. Between the two groups that had a history of concussion, however, females had higher spatial memory scores than males showing presence of concussion history did not negatively impact female spatial memory scores more than their male counterparts, contrary to what was anticipated. Although this difference was not significant, the findings could be due to a compensatory mechanism after injury, time since concussion, or sample size. When an individual is injured, this mechanism can occur when someone uses a different skill, that they are stronger in, to help advance their weaker abilities. The main research question being explored in this paper is: Does the sex and/or history of concussion affect spatial memory scores?