Congratulations to Princeton Neuropsychology at RSM for winning the Town Topics® Readers’ Choice Award for Best Speciality Medicine.

An Examination of Parental Concussion Knowledge Across Cultures. Download Poster

Title: Do children with LD and/or ADHD differ at baseline on a pediatric measure used to assess concussion? Authors: Sarah Friedman, PsyD. Sports Concussion Center of New Jersey, Princeton, NJ Rosemarie Scolaro Moser, PhD. Sports Concussion Center of New Jersey, Princeton, NJ Philip Schatz, PhD. Saint Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, PA Purpose: To examine differences at baseline between children with ADHD and/or LD vs. children with neither ADHD/LD on 1) neurocognitive scores and 2) child- and parent-reported concussion symptoms. Methods: Retrospective data was obtained for 1856 children ages 5-11 who were assessed at baseline using ImPACT Pediatric. Groups were determined based on parent-reported diagnosis of their child at baseline (ADHD and/or LD vs. neither ADHD/LD), and groups were compared on the four factor scores: Sequential Memory, Word Memory, Visual Memory, and Rapid Processing and on parent- and child-reported concussion symptoms using a series of ANOVAs. Results: ANOVAs revealed that children with ADHD/LD performed significantly worse than children without ADHD/LD on Sequential Memory [F(1,1845) = 69.86, p<.001)] and Word Memory [F(1,1853)=10.36, p=.001)]. In contrast, children with ADHD and/or LD performed significantly better on the neurocognitive measures of Visual Memory [(F(1,1845)=4.94, p=.026)] and Rapid Processing [(F(1,1853)=20.35, p<.001). Symptom reporting was significantly greater in the ADHD/LD group for both child (F(1,1853)=30.21, p<.001) and parent (F(1,1853)=34.64, p<.001) reported symptoms. Conclusions: The current study demonstrated differences at baseline in children on neurocognitive performance and concussion symptom reporting based on diagnostic group. Analysis of symptom reporting suggested that children with pre-exiting diagnoses of ADHD and/or LD and their parents may report concussion-like symptoms at baseline, prior to ever experiencing a concussion. This finding reveals clinical implications for interpretation of post-concussion symptoms without a baseline comparison in children with pre-existing diagnoses such as ADHD and/or LD.

Dr. Moser presented research on Gender Differences in Ice Hockey Related Concussions at the ASTM 6th Annual International Symposium on Safety in Ice Hockey in Denver, May 13, 2019.

Raeding Disrodurs: Recognize the Signs We’re Back to School and most parents are happy their lives are returning to a more predictable routine. While homework assignments start to pile up, learning glitches may begin to surface. As students progress through school, reading skills become pivotal to learning new information. Often parents are not aware their child is experiencing a Reading Disorder, sometimes called a Reading Disability. If a child is bright, she or he may be able to compensate or “get by” in the earlier grades by spending extra time studying and working harder than classmates. However, as they get older, the reading demands grow. They can no longer keep up and their grades slip. Parents may think their child is just not working hard enough, or worse yet, is “lazy.” These students can lose interest in school, experience low self-confidence, lack motivation, and dislike reading for “fun.” In 2014, New Jersey adopted the NJ Dyslexia Legislation for the identification and improvement of reading skills in youth, with a specific focus on dyslexia. Dyslexia is a type of reading disorder that can result in difficulties with letter and word reversals, learning sight words, blending letters to make sounds, and sounding out words. In New Jersey schools, dyslexia falls under the category of “Specific Learning Disability,” which allows students to receive reading assistance, such as in the form of a structured literacy program. Such programs include teaching the basic units of sounds called phonemes and learning to join them to form words. Dyslexia may be identified in the early school years when young students experience difficulty with basic reading skills. But, not all students with reading problems experience problems learning to read words. Instead, some students show strengths in basic word reading, sounding out words, and reading aloud. Their difficulties are centered around not understanding what they read and/or being unable to read at a reasonable pace. Their challenges are in reading comprehension, fluency, and speed. Because of their intact basic reading skills, they may not be identified as having reading problems until the later school years. Parents should recognize possible signs of a reading disorder: below average reading level, difficulty recognizing words, avoidance of reading, declining grades, starting, stopping, and pausing frequently when reading aloud, difficulty completing homework and tests, and dislike of school. Early identification of a reading disorder is key to preserving a student’s positive attitude about learning and about herself/himself. If you suspect your child may have a reading problem, notify your child’s teacher and pediatrician, and seek a comprehensive educational evaluation by a qualified licensed or certified professional who specializes in learning and reading disorders. By Rosemarie Scolaro Moser, PhD, ABN, ABPP-RP, neuropsychologist/school psychologist, and director of RSM Psychology Center, LLC in Princeton.

New research authored by Drs. Moser and Schatz will be featured in the journal, Developmental Neuropsychology, entitled: “A Cross-Cultural Examination of Parental Knowledge of Concussion in Sicily, Italy” http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/87565641.2020.1789644.

COVID-19 Brain Effects With over a year of pandemic behind us, medical researchers are recognizing that COVID-19 infection affects the brain and may lead to pathological changes in brain physiology. Health care clinicians are documenting that many “recovered” patients are now complaining of persistent neuropsychological symptoms or “brain fog.” These neuropsychological symptoms fall into two domains: cognitive and emotional. Cognitive symptoms can include problems with attention/concentration, memory, processing speed, and executive functions, such as decision-making, problem-solving, planning, reasoning, inhibiting impulses, and multi-tasking. Emotional symptoms may include anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, and paranoia. Recent research has shown a variety of brain abnormalities due to the viral infection.1 Hypoperfusion, or reduced blood flow, has been observed in the frontal region of the brain, which regulates executive functions. Structural abnormalities have been seen in the temporal brain region, which is often referred to as “the seat of memory.” Also, demyelination, or erosion of the fatty coating that covers the nerves, may be the cause of slowed information processing speed. Source: Princeton Magazine. Read More...

Our Staff presented original research at the SNS 2023 Symposium in Denver, entitled “Criteria Determining Clinical Recovery From Concussion.”

Our Staff presented research on Clinical Recovery Decisions in Concussion at the BIANJ Annual Conference 2023.

Dr. Philip Schatz, Director of Research, presented our new research about clinical decision-making in concussion recovery at the Concussion In Sport Group International Conference in Amsterdam in October, 2022.

Established in 2012, the Sports Neuropsychology Society (SNS) is a non-profit organization of professional sports neuropsychologists, allied health care providers, trainees, and other colleagues interested in the brain health of athletes. Our professional membership includes neuropsychologists who are active in concussion management, as well as in how brain function relates to emotional, physical, and cognitive well-being. Our Society promotes evidence-based clinical practice, advances in research, professional training, educational resources, and advocacy for the benefit of amateur and professional athletes. We connect athletes of all ages and the public to sports neuropsychologists.