College of Public Health and Human Sciences

The Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) is reported to possess variable reliability potentially due to a variety of factors, including mood. This study examined the influence of mood on ImPACT performance. A repeated measures design was used to assess 104 healthy, college-aged students. Participants completed the Profile of Mood States-Brief (POMS-B) and the ImPACT at days 1, 45, and 50. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated for the POMS-B and ImPACT composite scores. At day 1, the ImPACT’s Impulse Control composite score was significantly correlated to POMS-B Fatigue-Inertia mood state (−0.23, P = .02). The ImPACT’s total symptom score was correlated to several mood states across time. No other significant correlations were observed. Clinicians must be aware of sources of error, which may detract from optimal performance on the ImPACT. Our results suggest the ImPACT’s reported variable reliability may be due to systematic error, rather than random error.