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Biomechanical and neuromuscular characteristics are cur-
rently the primary focus of research on noncontact knee
injury mechanisms because these risk factors are modifi-
able.20,22 Although these characteristics may predispose
individuals to noncontact injuries, the underlying neu-
rocognitive influences that play a role in determining
motor behavior have not been investigated in this context.
No previous study has attempted to link brain function
with noncontact injuries, such as an anterior cruciate liga-
ment (ACL) tear.
It has been reported that between 72% and 95%6,45 of ACL
injuries occur through noncontact mechanisms, without
player-to-player contact.16,49 A noncontact ACL (NCACL)
injury typically occurs shortly after foot strike when an ath-
lete is decelerating, pivoting, or landing6,16,31,47,49 and where
ground-reaction forces typically exceed 5 times the person’s
body weight.42 Successfully negotiating these high joint loads
requires complex neuromuscular control strategies for
dynamic joint stabilization.12,28,41,55,56
Neuromuscular control is influenced by sensory infor-
mation from proprioceptive, kinesthetic, visual, and
vestibular sources, as well as cortical and spinal motor
The Relationship Between Neurocognitive
Function and Noncontact Anterior Cruciate
Ligament Injuries
Charles Buz Swanik,*†PhD, Tracey Covassin,‡PhD, David J. Stearne,§PhD,
and Philip Schatz,|| PhD
From the †Department of Health, Nutrition & Exercise Science, University of Delaware, Newark,
Delaware, ‡Department of Kinesiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan,
§Department of Kinesiology, West Chester University, West Chester, Pennsylvania,
and the ||Department of Psychology, Saint Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Background: Biomechanical analyses suggest that the loss of neuromuscular control is associated with noncontact anterior cru-
ciate ligament sprains; however, previous research has not explored the link between neurocognitive function and unintentional
knee injuries.
Purpose: To determine if athletes who suffer a noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injury demonstrate decreased baseline neu-
rocognitive performance when compared with matched controls.
Study Design: Case control study; Level of evidence, 3.
Methods: The baseline scores from a computerized neurocognitive test battery (ImPACT) were analyzed to compare verbal
memory, visual memory, processing speed, and reaction time. Eighty intercollegiate athletes who, subsequent to testing, expe-
rienced noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injuries, were matched with 80 controls based on height, weight, age, gender,
sport, position, and years of experience at the collegiate level.
Results: Statistical differences were found between the noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injury group and the matched con-
trols on all 4 neurocognitive subtests. Noncontact anterior cruciate ligament–injured athletes demonstrated significantly slower
reaction time (F1,158 =9.66, P =.002) and processing speed (F1,158 =12.04, P=.001) and performed worse on visual (F1,158 =19.16,
P=.000) and verbal memory (F1,158 =4.08, P=.045) composite scores when compared with controls.
Conclusion: Neurocognitive differences may be associated with the loss of neuromuscular control and coordination errors,
predisposing certain intercollegiate athletes to noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injuries.
Keywords: neuropsychological functioning; ImPACT; knee; neuromuscular
1
*Address correspondence to Charles Buz Swanik, PhD, ATC,
University of Delaware, Department of Health, Nutrition & Exercise
Science, Biomechanics and Movement Sciences Program, 151 Human
Performance Laboratory, 542 South College, Newark, DE 19716 (e-mail:
cswanik@udel.edu).
No potential conflict of interest declared.
The American Journal of Sports Medicine, Vol. X, No. X
DOI: 10.1177/0363546507299532
© American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine
AJSM PreView, published on March 16, 2007 as doi:10.1177/0363546507299532
Copyright 2007 by the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine.
2Swanik et al The American Journal of Sports Medicine
commands.19,30 Maintaining dynamic restraint during
complicated, high-velocity movements such as athletics
is contingent on both cortically programmed muscle pre-
activation and reflex-mediated contractions. The cerebral
cortex relies on feed-forward processing to initiate a motor
program for coordinated execution of the desired task.18
The feedback mechanism then regulates reflexive motor
responses to unanticipated events after ground contact.
Although many peripheral and segmental reflexive path-
ways exist, ultimately the cerebral cortex is responsible for
planning and regulating all of these motor control
processes.5,17
Neurocognitive tasks, such as those measuring reaction
time, processing speed, visual memory, and verbal memory,
are well established in the neuropsychology literature as
indirect measures of cerebral performance. Situational
awareness, arousal, and attentional resources of the indi-
vidual may influence these areas of neurocognitive func-
tion, affecting the complex integration of vestibular,
visual,11 and somatosensory information needed for neuro-
muscular control.3,8,39,40,44
Throughout the past decade, neurocognitive testing has
become a standard, objective means for assessing subtle
changes in cerebral and cortical function associated with
concussions and can assist with return-to-play decisions.37
The Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and
Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) software (NeuroHealth
Systems, Pittsburgh, Pa)35,51 has been shown to be a reli-
able method52 for examining deficits in reaction time, pro-
cessing speed, working memory, and attention and
concentration. Although neurocognitive changes have tra-
ditionally been related to mild traumatic brain injury,
deficits in cortically driven reaction time, processing speed,
and visual and verbal memory may also indicate dimin-
ished capacity for neuromuscular control and thereby pre-
disposition to noncontact injury. To date, previous research
has linked cerebral performance with motor control or
related motor control strategies and injury, but no studies
have investigated the relationship between neurocognitive
function and NCACL injuries. By considering such an
alternative application for neurocognitive tests, this
inquiry may provide insight into cerebral mechanisms of
neuromuscular control and injury prevention, adding to
current research attempting to link neurocognitive func-
tion with cortical mechanisms controlling the motor pro-
gram. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to
determine if preseason (baseline) neurocognitive perform-
ance was lower in athletes who later went on to suffer an
NCACL injury.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Research Design
A case-control design was used to compare neurocognitive
test scores and NCACL injuries. The independent variable
was the injury status (injured or noninjured). The depend-
ent variables were obtained during preseason baseline
neuropsychological test scores on verbal memory, visual
memory, processing speed, and reaction time.
Subjects
One hundred sixty athletes (80 NCACL, 80 control) from
18 universities participated in this study. All of the ath-
letes selected for this study were practicing and competing
in the 2001-2002, 2002-2003, and 2003-2004 academic sea-
sons. The injured group consisted of athletes representing
Division I (n =38), Division II (n =27), Division III (n =7),
NAIA (n =6), and NCCAA (n =2) institutions and com-
peted in various sports (Table 1). All NCACL injuries were
diagnosed by a team physician, and a complete ACL tear
was confirmed during reconstructive surgery. Athletes who
sustained a direct blow as a component of the mechanism
of injury and those reporting a previous knee sprain or
head injury were excluded from the study. Of the 80
NCACL-injured athletes, 45 were women (age, 20.6 ±1.7
years; weight, 65.6 ±9.4 kg; height, 168.8 ±8.8 cm), and 35
were men (age, 20.8 ±1.1 years; weight, 88.4 ±16.1 kg;
height, 182.6 ±9.7 cm).
Potential control subjects were first sorted based on the
matching criteria of height, weight, age, gender, sport, posi-
tion, and years of experience at the collegiate level (Table 2)
from the larger database of athletes including all 18
TABLE 1
Frequency Distribution of NCACL-Injured
Subjects by Sport (n =80)a
Team No. of Patients
Women’s soccer 16
Football 12
Women’s lacrosse 5
Women’s basketball 9
Women’s volleyball 5
Men’s soccer 8
Men’s basketball 6
Men’s lacrosse 6
Field hockey 3
Women’s gymnastics 5
Wrestling 3
Fencing 1
Softball 1
aNCACL, noncontact anterior cruciate ligament.
TABLE 2
Matching of NCACL and Control Groupsa
NCACL, Control,
Variable Mean ±SD Mean ±SD PValue
Height, cm 68.82 ±4.18 68.80 ±4.52 .971
Weight, kg 159.93 ±34.44 166.01 ±37.38 .248
Collegiate experience, y 1.21 ±1.34 1.18 ±2.27 .508
aNCACL, noncontact anterior cruciate ligament.
Vol. X, No. X, XXXX Neurocognitive Function and Noncontact ACL Injuries 3
schools. A random numbers list was then used to identify a
subset of 80 for comparison.
Instrumentation
ImPACT version 2.023 was used for the study and adminis-
tered in a private office or restricted-access laboratory. The
ImPACT instrument is a computer-based program used to
assess neurocognitive function and concussion symptoms.
The software program consists of 6 neurocognitive tests
that evaluate word recognition, design memory, visual pro-
cessing and memory, symbol matching (Xs and Os), color
matching, and working memory/visual response speed.
These 6 neurocognitive tests yield 4 “composite” scores in
the areas of verbal memory, visual memory, reaction time,
and processing speed.23,26
The verbal memory composite score represents the aver-
age percentage correct, for example, out of 100%, for the
word recognition paradigm, the symbol number match
task, and the letter memory task (with an accompanying
interference task). The visual memory composite score is
composed of the average percentage correct, for example,
out of 100%, for 2 tasks: the design memory task (which
requires the discrimination of a series of abstract line
drawings) and the memory task, which requires the iden-
tification of a series of illuminated Xs or Os after an inter-
vening task (mouse clicking a number sequence from 25
to 1). The first test taps immediate and delayed memory
for visual designs, and the second test measures short-
term spatial memory (with an interference task). The reac-
tion time composite score represents the average response
time (in milliseconds) on a choice reaction time (go/no-go)
task and the previously mentioned symbol match task
(which is similar to a traditional digit symbol task). The pro-
cessing speed composite represents the weighted average (in
seconds) of the 3 tasks (Xs and Os, symbol match, color
match) that are done as interference tasks for the memory
paradigms. ImPACT employs random variation of stimuli,
which affords alternate forms to reduce practice effects
traditionally seen in repeated measures administration.
Each of the content areas contains practice trials that
require the user to demonstrate understanding of the
instructions and proficiency with the goal of the task.35
Test-retest reliability for ImPACT was assessed for 8
days, across 4 administrations, yielding correlation coeffi-
cients ranging from 0.66 to 0.85 for the verbal memory
index, 0.75 to 0.88 for the processing speed index, and 0.62
to 0.66 for the reaction time index.27 Using reliable change
indices, repeated administrations for a 2-week period
revealed no practice effects.24 In another study, 1-week
test-retest reliability coefficients were as follows: 0.70 for
verbal memory; 0.67 for visual memory; 0.79 for reaction
time; and 0.86 for processing speed, with significant test-
retest differences for only the processing speed composite
scores36 within subject comparisons. Criterion-related
validity of ImPACT was demonstrated through the ability
to separate injured from age-matched noninjured control
subjects who suffered even mild concussions.24 Concurrent
validation of ImPACT revealed correlations with the
Symbol-Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), which ranged from
0.37 and 0.46 for visual and verbal memory indices to 0.60
and 0.70 for reaction time and processing speed indices.53
Because the SDMT is believed to measure scanning and
tracking aspects of attention, as well as processing speed,25
these coefficients represent good convergent and divergent
validity. Correlations between ImPACT visual and verbal
memory composites with the Brief Visual Spatial Memory
Test-Revised (BVMT-R) total score (r=.50) and the
delayed recall score (r=.85) have been established4; the
processing speed composite was shown to correlate with
the Trailmaking Tests A (r=–.49) and B (r=–.60) and the
SDMT (r=.68).
Testing Procedures
Institutional Review Board approval was obtained from
each university, as well as permission for athlete partici-
pation from the head athletic trainer. Certified athletic
TABLE 3
Neuropsychological Test Score for NCACL and Control Groups (n =160)a
Effect Size 95% CI
Neurocognitive Test Mean ±SD F Test (score) PValue Cohen dLower Upper
Verbal memory 77, 79
NCACL .84 ±.08 4.08 .045b–.47 .83 .86
Control .88 ±.09 .85 .89
Visual memory 66
NCACL .72 ± .12 19.16 .00c–.77 .70 .76
Control .82 ±14 .79 .85
Processing speed 33
NCACL 36.9 ±6.6 12.04 .001c–.55 35.3 38.6
Control 41.0 ±8.2 39.4 42.7
Reaction time (ms) .65
NCACL .57 ±.07 9.66 .002c.46 .55 .59
Control .53 ±.10 .51 .55
aNCACL, noncontact anterior cruciate ligament; CI, confidence interval; ms, milliseconds.
bSignificant at the .05 level.
cSignificant at the .01 level.
4Swanik et al The American Journal of Sports Medicine
trainers completed an NCACL-injury tracking form identi-
fying the number of athletes at their institution who sus-
tained an NCACL injury during the past 3 years and
indicating whether surgical confirmation of a complete
tear was achieved. The study design was explained to all
potential subjects, and each individual signed a consent
form. The preseason baseline ImPACT test scores, for
either the fall or spring before the NCACL injury, were
then used for analysis.
Data Analysis
The ImPACT yields scores for verbal and visual memory,
processing speed, and reaction time. Higher scores on pro-
cessing speed and verbal and visual memory indicate a
better performance. A faster score on reaction time indi-
cates better performance.
A 1-way analysis of variance was conducted to analyze
neurocognitive function between the 2 groups (NCACL and
control). The level of significance was set at P=.05. All
analyses were conducted using the Statistical Package for
the Social Sciences version 11.1 (SPSS Inc, Chicago, Ill).
RESULTS
Statistical differences were found between the NCACL-
injury group and the matched controls on all 4 neurocog-
nitive subtests. The NCACL-injured athletes had slower
reaction times (F1,158 =9.66, P=.002) and slower process-
ing speeds (F1,158 =12.04, P=.001) and performed signifi-
cantly worse on visual memory (F1,158 =19.16, P=.000) and
verbal memory (F1,158 =4.08, P=.045) composite scores
compared with controls (Table 3).
DISCUSSION
This is the first study to examine the relationship between
decreased neurocognitive performance and NCACL
injuries. Athletes who suffered NCACL injuries had signif-
icantly slower reaction times and processing speeds, as
well as lower visual and verbal memory scores during their
preseason tests. Noncontact ACL injuries are associated
with errors in coordination,1,10,13,14,30,33,57,58,62 and the neu-
rocognitive differences identified in our study may predis-
pose certain individuals to noncontact injuries.
Previous literature suggests these neurocognitive char-
acteristics can have an important role in coordination,
sports performance, and injury.26 In comparison with nor-
mative values published for this age group, our observed
scores ranged from low average to average.26 The
decreased performance by the NCACL group would be
characterized as “diminished” but did not reach a level
necessary to classify these subjects as having a neurocog-
nitive “impairment.”1,10,13 However, these deficits warrant
discussion regarding their possible relationship with the
loss of neuromuscular control and noncontact injury
mechanisms.
Physical activity requires situational awareness of a broad
attentional field to continuously monitor the surrounding
environment, filter irrelevant information, and simultane-
ously execute complex motor programs.34,46,61 Increased
arousal or anxiety changes an athlete’s concentration, nar-
rows their attentional field, and alters muscle activity, which
has been associated with poor coordination and inferior per-
formance.9,14 The amount and speed of neural processing
required for a task can be measured using reaction time.30
Athletes generally have better reaction times, but delays
can occur when the number of response alternatives
increases.1,14,54 Also, reaction times are slower when memory
retention and fine motor tasks are performed at the same
time as walking33 or in combination with auditory stim-
uli.9,50,60,62 A common example used to demonstrate how
decreased reaction time contributes to poor performance
involves the slowed reactions of distracted drivers during
automobile accidents.57,58 In an athletic population, our
results agree with previous research suggesting that mental
abilities and slowed reaction time may be linked with gen-
eral musculoskeletal complaints.10,19,21,31,62 Although the
reaction time deficits recorded in this study do not meet
established criteria to suggest NCACL subjects were
impaired, attempting to execute complex athletic maneuvers
in a rapidly changing sport environment can slow reaction
time or processing speed and compromise motor perform-
ance.59,62 Mild deficits in reaction time and processing speed
could make individuals more susceptible to brief errors in
judgment or loss of coordination when confronted with com-
plex environmental cues during athletic competition. This
task uncertainty or hesitation has been shown to attenuate
muscle activity, which would compromise dynamic restraint
and increase the risk of NCACL injury.2,10,13,15,33,38,43
The decreased visual and verbal memory composite
scores of NCACL subjects may also be associated with mis-
takes in coordination.2,10,13 The selection process determin-
ing which of the many stimuli in a complex environment
requires immediate attention involves mechanisms for
learning and memory.38 The region of the visual field from
which a person chooses to process information is deter-
mined by visual attention.13 Athletes with decreased visual
attention skills may have difficulty interpreting and nego-
tiating conflicting information when challenged with
unanticipated events. Lacking the capacity to quickly redi-
rect attention from one location to the next or distribute
attention across multiple locations will decrease an indi-
vidual’s visual-spatial orientation.7,29,32,33,48,50 This state is
frequently described as spatial disorientation or a loss of
situational awareness.59 The momentary disorientation
can disrupt execution of routine motor programs or alter
muscle activity, effectively diminishing the dynamic
restraint capabilities.
Several limitations to this study should be acknowl-
edged before considering the potential prognostic value of
these results. These results show small but statistically
significant differences between the NCACL and control
groups on all 4 neurocognitive subtests. It is important to
note that these differences were found retrospectively on
Vol. X, No. X, XXXX Neurocognitive Function and Noncontact ACL Injuries 5
baseline preseason testing, and participants were assigned
to the control group randomly from a larger pool of college
athletes. Athletes’ scores from both groups were consistent
with nationally published normative data, suggesting that
there was no systematic error attributable to our selection
methods. However, athletes in the NCACL group consis-
tently scored worse than controls. Previous knee and head
injury information for subject exclusion was collected by
self-report and could have caused selection bias.
Furthermore, one weakness of case control studies is the
selection of a comparison group. While matching variables
and random selection were included to minimize this bias,
the results of this study should be viewed with caution
until more prospective observations can be reported.
CONCLUSION
Differences were found in all 4 neurocognitive subtests
between NCACL-injured subjects and uninjured controls.
Decreased reaction times, processing speed, or visual spa-
tial disorientation may expose athletes to injurious situa-
tions by disrupting the neuromuscular control necessary
for dynamic restraint. These findings should be regarded
with caution because specific injury mechanisms affected
by neurocognitive deficits are still unclear and require
speculation until further investigations can be completed.
The interaction between reflexive pathways and cortical
control should be explored before deficits in higher brain
center neurocognitive function can be clearly linked to
dynamic restraint mechanisms and outcome performance
on athletic maneuvers. This is the first study to link neu-
rocognitive function to NCACL injury and may present an
alternative application for neurocognitive testing in the
area of injury prevention.
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