Correlation of King-Devick Test and Helmet Impact Exposures Over a Youth Football Season

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BACKGROUND: The cumulative effect of repetitive subconcussive head impacts on neurocognitive function during youth contact sports remains largely unknown. There is a paucity of literature evaluating cumulative helmet forces over a season and their correlation with preseason and postseason cognitive performance tasks such as the King-Devick test (KDT). HYPOTHESIS: Higher helmet forces recorded throughout a 10-week, 10-game youth football season would correlate with slower performance on postseason KDT. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 3. METHODS: forces. Suspected concussions were correlated with KDT times and recorded instances of head impact. Pre- and postseason KDT scores were compared. RESULTS: During the season, 2013 head impacts were recorded. Median (range) total cumulative force score was 24 (5-476); 6 players sustained head impacts concerning for concussion, and 4 were clinically diagnosed with concussions. Overall, postseason KDT times improved compared with preseason, with a median (range) change of -4.8 seconds (-7.6, -1.1). Analysis showed no correlation between changes in KDT time and total cumulative force score over the season. CONCLUSION: KDT times in youth football players did not change significantly based on head impact exposure over a single youth football season; most players' KDT times improved from preseason to postseason. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Although our study did not show significant cognitive impact as measured by KDT over a single youth football season, the long-term effects of concussion on the immature brain and how it can impact cognitive development remains largely unknown and should be an area of ongoing study.

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