SLAM on the stand: how the sports-related concussion literature can inform the expert witness.

Full Abstract

Mild head injury is a controversial topic because patients may have subtle deficits and widely varied outcomes. Accordingly, neuropsychologists are frequently asked to provide expert testimony about the nature of mild head injury. This article discusses how the sports-related concussion literature, including the concept of baseline assessment, can inform expert witnesses who are asked to provide such testimony. We first provide a review of several of the controversies surrounding mild head injury, both within and outside of the forensic context. This is followed by a review of the sports as a laboratory assessment model literature, which demonstrates consistent and meaningful evidence of cognitive sequelae following mild head injury. We conclude with a description of how the sports as a laboratory assessment model literature may be utilized in a forensic neuropsychology context to address some of the identified controversies. We end with a call for more research that will further inform the forensic neuropsychologist about mild head injury and those factors that may result in poor recovery.

Author information

Author/s: Bailey, Christopher M (CM); Barth, Jeffrey T (JT); Bender, Scott D (SD);

Affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Review

Journal: The Journal of head trauma rehabilitation (J Head Trauma Rehabil), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: -2009 Mar-Apr; vol 24 (issue 2) : pp 123-30

Dates: Created 2009/03/31; Completed 2009/07/02; Revised 2009/07/06;

PMID: 19333067, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 7/24/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

Comments and Corrections

CommentIn: J Head Trauma Rehabil. 2009 Mar-Apr;24(2):131-40. (PMID: 19333068)

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