Sex differences in baseline neuropsychological function and concussion symptoms of collegiate athletes.

OBJECTIVE To investigate sex differences in baseline neuropsychological function and concussion symptoms between male and female collegiate athletes. METHODS A post-test only design was used to examine baseline neuropsychological test scores and concussion symptoms. A total of 1209 NCAA Division I collegiate athletes from five northeastern universities in the USA completed a baseline ImPACT test. ImPACT, a computerised neuropsychological test battery, was administered during an athlete's pre-season. RESULTS Female athletes performed significantly better than male athletes on baseline verbal memory scores (p = 0.001), while male athletes performed significantly better than female athletes on baseline visual memory scores (p = 0.001). Female athletes endorsed a significant number of mild baseline symptoms as compared to male athletes. CONCLUSIONS Male and female athletes exhibit differences on baseline neuropsychological test performance and concussion symptoms.