Initial validation of SENIC: a cognitive test for assessing concussion in team sports.

INTRODUCTION

Concussions present a significant public health concern, with an estimated 1.6 to 3 million sport-related cases reported annually in the United States alone. Athletes are particularly vulnerable due to repeated exposure to high-risk situations. We wish to validate a novel assessment tool designed to evaluate cognitive functioning through a sport-specific, decision-based task.

METHOD: This study introduces SENIC (ENgaging and Immersive Cognitive Simulation), a dynamic, context-sensitive cognition task developed collaboratively with athletes and stakeholders. SENIC integrates ecological validity by contextualizing cognitive tasks within the athlete's sport. This approach offers an integrated view of cognition, as opposed to traditional methods that assess cognitive functions independently. Reaction time, a behaviorally linked indicator, serves in this study as a measure of information processing efficiency. Ninety-six athletes without current or recent concussion completed SENIC and the Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) battery. Construct validity was examined using a multitrait-multimethod matrix (MTMM) approach.

RESULTS

The MTMM revealed correlations between SENIC's detection time and ImPACT's reaction time, ImPACT's visuomotor speed, and ImPACT's visual memory, providing preliminary evidence for convergent validity.

CONCLUSION

Our study proposes an innovative neurocognitive assessment approach that combines external validity with dynamic cognition. SENIC seems promising in providing a contextually relevant evaluation of cognitive functioning in athletes at risk of concussion.