• Arun Prasad Balasundaram, Josie Athens, Anthony G Schneiders, Paul McCrory, and S John Sullivan.
• a Centre for Health, Activity and Rehabilitation Research, School of Physiotherapy , University of Otago , Dunedin , New Zealand.
• Brain Inj. 2016 Jan 1; 30 (13-14): 1599-1604.

Primary ObjectiveTo explore the change (trend) in post-concussion-like symptoms reported over time.Research DesignLongitudinal study.Methods And ProceduresUniversity students aged 18-30 years self-reported their symptoms experienced on a daily basis. Each participant was contacted via a text message each day during one of three pre-defined time zones to complete the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 2 (SCAT2) post-concussion symptom scale on 7 consecutive days.Main Outcomes And ResultsOne hundred and ten (26 males and 84 females) students completed the study on all 7 days. Only two meaningful clusters emerged and comprised of a total of 105 participants. The primary cluster included 85 participants who showed a relatively stable pattern in their symptoms reported over time. Meanwhile, a second cluster comprised of 20 participants who demonstrated a decreasing trend in the reported symptom scores.ConclusionsThe data indicated that non-concussed participants exhibited considerable individual variability in the symptom scores reported over time. However, some participants showed a systematic decreasing trend in their symptom scores reported over the 7 days. Caution must be exercised in interpreting the serial symptom scores that are obtained following a concussion, given that this study was conducted in a non-concussed cohort.

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