In recent years there has been an increase in the amount of concussions diagnosed. Unfortunately, many of the lasting effects of this type of brain injury are not fully understood. Concussions may present obvious behavioral and cognitive deficits, such as headaches and fatigue. However, the lasting effects on the brain, specifically on the executive function network, responsible for attention and focus, often go unnoticed. Individuals who have suffered a concussion often present abnormal brain wave activity when compared to their neurotypical counterparts. There is accumulating post-concussive research that is being conducted in order to decipher the invisible symptoms that may follow an injury. For instance, research has shown a strong association between a state of wakefulness and increased EEG slow wave activity. In contrast, there are conflicting results regarding how various brain wave activity is altered in concussed individuals during a cognitive task. Specifically, beta waves, which are associated with alertness and activity, vary in concussed individuals compared to non-concussed controls while at rest. The relationship between the amount of brain power required for performance on inhibition and inhibition switching tasks, in concussed versus non-concussed individuals, was the focus of this study. The participants (n = 91, M = 19.45 years) consisted of athletic and non-athletic college students. Some of the participants (n = 26) had a history of concussion within the past 10 years (M = 19.57 years). Participants completed a color word interference (CWI) task while in a continuous EEG monitor with electrodes placed on the left and right frontal lobe. The CWI consisted of four conditions. First, the participants identified the color of different colored squares. Second, participants read various black and white printed names of colors aloud. The third condition was an inhibition task. This required the individual to identify the color of the text, regardless of the conflicting printed word. Lastly, the fourth and final condition demonstrates inhibition switching skills by requiring the participant to switch between two tasks. The participant would follow the same procedure as condition three, unless the word was placed in a box. If so, then the participant would read the actual word printed, despite the color of the ink. The analyzed EEG data showed a significant increase in beta wave activity in concussed participants during the two hardest conditions of the CWI task. These findings are consistent with previous research and suggest that concussed individuals require greater brain power than non-concussed individuals in tasks involving executive function of the frontal lobe. These symptoms are of particular interest due to their persistence beyond self-report of any symptoms.

Increased frontal lobe beta wave activity required for inhibition and inhibition switching tasks post concussion