Cognitive, Experiential and Genetic Contribution to Depressive Symptoms in Male and Female Students with a History of Concussion

Concussions are generally accompanied by a variety of somatic, cognitive and affective symptoms, including depressive-like symptoms. Although for most individuals, the affective symptoms are relatively transient, for others these symptoms can persist for extended periods of time. The purpose of the present study was to examine several cognitive, genetic, and experiential factors which might be associated with depressive pathology among males and females with and without a history of concussion. Male and female university students with a history of concussions and a control group of “never-concussed” individuals completed the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task to assess executive function as well as several questionnaires assessing cognitive vulnerabilities to depression, early life adversity, and depressive symptomatology. Participants also provided a saliva sample for DNA analysis. The present findings provide further insight into several factors that might contribute to vulnerability to long-lasting depressive pathology following a concussion and the significance of gender.