title: Attentional deficits in concussion.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of the present study was to examine deficits in the alerting, orienting and executive components of attention in individuals who have recently suffered a concussion.
  
  
  METHODS
  A group design was used in which the performance by individuals with concussion was compared to control subjects matched for age, height, weight and activity level.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants completed the Attentional Network Test (ANT) that breaks down attention into alerting, orienting and executive components. Reaction time and response accuracy were the dependent variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  It was found that only the orienting and executive components of attention were affected by concussion, whereas the alerting component was normal. Furthermore, participants with concussion required a significantly longer time than controls to initiate correct responses.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that the orienting and executive components of attention are most susceptible to the effects of concussion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Physiology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1240, USA. paulvd@darkwing.uoregon.edu
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: van Donkelaar
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Langan
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Drew
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Halterman
authors.forename: L R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Osternig
authors.forename: L-S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Chou
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D001924:Brain Concussion / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009949:Orientation; D010468:Perceptual Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D011930:Reaction Time; D013028:Space Perception