2065 An Analysis on the Interaction Between Sleep and Gender in Neurocognitive Performance Testing

INTRODUCTION: Cognitive testing for sports-related concussions (SRC) has become a critical component in ensuring the health of adolescent athletes. Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) is a validated tool for assessing SRC and guiding subsequent medical management. The effect of different variables on ImPACT score is therefore of clinical relevance, however the influence of gender and sleep quantity on performance remain understudied. METHODS: A database containing ImPACT assessments from 11,563 high school athletes gathered between July 2009 to 2019 in Florida and Colorado was queried, and retrospective analysis was conducted to evaluate gender and sleep effects on performance, both at baseline and post-injury. RESULTS: Multivariable analysis revealed that at baseline, gender and sleep duration had a significant interaction effect with both Symptom Score (p<0.0001) and Reaction Time (p=0.0145) ImPACT test categories. At post-injury testing, only Symptom Score (p=0.0374) was significantly associated with these two variables. CONCLUSIONS: Within our study population, sleep and gender were found to be significantly associated with specific neurocognitive composite scores on the ImPACT concussion assessment. Our results underscore the need for further investigation into these variables in the context of SRC management, in order to provide optimal and personalized treatment for young athletes.