Postconcussional Syndrome: Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment

Ashley A Taylor; Stephen R McCauley; Adriana M Strutt

doi:10.1016/j.ncl.2022.08.003

Postconcussional Syndrome: Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment

Neurol Clin. 2023 Feb;41(1):161-176. doi: 10.1016/j.ncl.2022.08.003. Epub 2022 Oct 31.

Authors

Ashley A Taylor¹, Stephen R McCauley², Adriana M Strutt³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychological, Health, and Learning Sciences, Houston, TX, USA.
² Department of Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; H. Ben Taub Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
³ Department of Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA. Electronic address: adrianam@bcm.edu.

PMID: 36400553
DOI: 10.1016/j.ncl.2022.08.003

Abstract

Diagnosis and treatment of postconcussional syndrome (PCS) is challenging because symptoms are vague, difficult to confirm, and attributable to other conditions. There are no uniformly accepted diagnostic PCS criteria. Clinical care largely focuses on symptom reduction and management. Moreover, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has increased the challenge because post-acute COVID-19 syndrome symptoms overlap with PCS. Future research should center on base rates of PCS-type symptoms in nonneurological samples and the identification and improved understanding of moderating variables contributing to the frequency, intensity, and duration of PCS symptoms.

Keywords: Concussion; Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI); Neuropsychology; Postconcussion/postconcussional syndrome (PCS); Postconcussional disorder (PCD).

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

COVID-19*
Humans
Neuropsychological Tests
Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome
Post-Concussion Syndrome* / diagnosis
Post-Concussion Syndrome* / etiology