Sports Neuropsychology: Assessment and Management of Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract

Echemendia RJ, ed. New York, NY 10012, The Guilford Press, 2006, hardcover, 314 pp, illus, ISBN: 879-1-57230-078-7, $45. The goal of neuropsychology is to link science with practice in order to improve the daily function of people with neurocognitive deficits. Over the past 15 years, neuropsychology has expanded into the field of sports as research findings have revealed that many athletes suffer persistent cognitive and emotional symptoms following cerebral concussion, called “post-concussive syndrome.” This mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) that occurs in sports may or may not be associated with loss of consciousness but can have sequelae such as headache, dizziness, depression, irritability, impaired attention, and slowed mental processing. Although these symptoms usually resolve, in some cases they persist and impair the quality of life for the athlete. Awareness of this “silent epidemic” has grown in recent years, largely due to problems experienced by some high-profile athletes, and now neuropsychologists are becoming an integral member of many sports rehabilitation teams. This book, though not an exhaustive review of the …