Reference

Concussion Glossary

Every acronym and term you'll encounter in concussion literature, defined in plain English.

April 2, 20265 min read

SCAT6: Sport Concussion Assessment Tool, 6th edition. The 2023 consensus tool published by the CISG. Used for both baseline and sideline/off-field concussion assessment in athletes ages 13 and older.
Child SCAT6: The age-adapted version of SCAT6 for athletes ages 5 to 12. Uses simpler cognitive tasks, child-appropriate symptom language, and a parent/guardian report component.
CISG: Concussion in Sport Group. The international expert body that publishes the consensus statement on concussion in sport every four to five years.
SAC: Standardized Assessment of Concussion. The cognitive portion of the SCAT battery: orientation, immediate memory, concentration, and delayed recall.
mBESS: Modified Balance Error Scoring System. A brief standing balance test with three stances (double-leg, single-leg, tandem) held for 20 seconds each on a firm surface.
Tandem gait: A heel-to-toe walking test along a three-meter line. The athlete walks forward, turns, and walks back. Three timed trials, often included in SCAT6.
PCSS: Post-Concussion Symptom Scale. A 22-item self-report of symptoms rated 0–6. Used both at baseline (to capture typical symptom load) and after injury (to detect changes).
VOMS: Vestibular/Ocular Motor Screening. A short clinical assessment of vestibular and ocular function. Sometimes used alongside SCAT6 to detect vestibular-ocular concussion subtypes.
Return-to-play (RTP): A structured, graduated protocol for returning a concussed athlete to full contact. Typically six steps over at least six days, with medical clearance required before full contact.
Concussion subtypes: A clinical framework that divides concussion presentations into cognitive, vestibular, ocular, cervical, anxiety/mood, and sleep-wake subtypes. Helps direct rehab decisions.
Immediate memory: A SAC module asking the athlete to recall a ten-word list after hearing it, across three consecutive trials.
Delayed recall: A SAC module asking the athlete to recall the same ten-word list after a five-minute delay filled by other tests.
Digit span backward: A concentration task. The athlete hears a sequence of digits and repeats them in reverse order. Tests working memory and attention.
Months backward: A concentration task. The athlete recites the months of the year in reverse order, typically starting from December. Tests attention and executive function.
mTBI: Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. The clinical term for what is commonly called a concussion. The two terms are often used interchangeably, though mTBI covers a slightly broader clinical category.
HIPAA: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. US law governing protected health information (PHI). Clinics handling athlete concussion data are typically HIPAA-covered entities.
FERPA: Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. US law governing student educational records, which typically covers student-athlete data held by schools.