The under-arousal in traumatic brain injury has been hypothesized to be associated with ventromedial prefrontal cortex disruption. This under-arousal may be mirrored in persons who self-report experiencing subtle head trauma. Students who reported MHI may be less able to physiologically respond and/or cognitively appraise stressful experiences as compared to their no-MHI cohort; and experience subtle persistent consequences despite the subtle nature of the reported head trauma.

Overall, these findings encourage the acceptance of head injury as being on a continuum of brain injury severity, as MHI can emulate neurophysiological and neuropsychological features of more traumatic cases and may be impacting mechanisms which sustain adaptive social decision-making.

IntroductionThis study investigated concussion as a potential risk factor for increased alcohol consumption in university athletes.MethodsUsing a cross-sectional design, 41 university students (37% with a history of concussion) completed self-report measures, while electrodermal activation (EDA) was recorded for each participant to capture baseline physiological arousal.ResultsAs expected, concussion status significantly predicted alcohol consumption over and above athletic status, b = 0.34, p = 0.034, 95% CI [0.195, 4.832], such that those with a prior concussion history engaged in greater alcohol consumption. Importantly, concussion status also significantly predicted baseline physiological arousal, b = −0.39, p = 0.014, 95% CI [−0.979, −0.120], such that those with a history of concussion exhibited lower EDA.ConclusionsElevated alcohol consumption among athletes is a pronounced associate of concussion in sports and may be a behavioral reflection of disruption to the orbitofrontal cortex – an area implicated in inhibition.

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