Examination of postconcussion-like symptoms in a healthy sample

The post-concussion syndrome (PCS) is relatively common following mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI). However, the factors that cause and maintain this syndrome continue to be debated. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the prevalence of postconcussion-like symptoms in a sample of healthy individuals. Participants (N = 104) completed the British Columbia Postconcussion Symptom Inventory-Short Form (BC-PSI-Sf), a test designed to measure both the frequency and intensity of ICD-10 criteria for PCS, and the Beck Depression Inventory (2nd ed.). Specific endorsement rates of postconcussion-like symptoms ranged from 35.9% to 75.7% for any experience of the symptoms in the past 2 weeks, and from 2.9% to 15.5% for the experience of more severe symptoms. Symptoms reported on the BC-PSI-Sf also showed a moderately high correlation with self-reported depressive symptoms [r(102) = .76, p <. 01]. This study illustrates that the presence of postconcussion-like symptoms: (a) are not unique to mild head injury and are commonly found in healthy individuals, and (b) are highly correlated with depressive symptoms.