Date of Award

Spring 2026

Abstract

Background: Concussion, or mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is the most prevalent category of brain injury. Despite its classification as a mild injury, concussion can result in persistent symptoms that impact one’s ability to participate in everyday life. Among the challenges associated with concussion, discourse production (e.g., storytelling) has gained attention as a potential area of subtle impairment in people who have experienced a concussion, as it places high cognitive demands on the individual. Disruptions in cognitive processes may alter how individuals organize, interpret, and convey information in social contexts. However, discourse deficits are typically more apparent in severe TBI, resulting in more subtle deficits in mTBI. Therefore, more sensitive and ecologically valid assessments are necessary to detect the cognitive-communication deficits that may exist in this population.Aim: The aim of this pilot study was to determine whether the discourse-level language performance of adults with mTBI differed significantly from that of neurologically healthy adults, based on a novel short, silent, animated video. Methods: This study used a quasi-experimental between-groups design. The participants included a neurologically heathy control (NHC) and an mTBI group, recruited by word of mouth, the online UNH SONA system, and digital and printed flyers. Transcripts of Partly Cloudy narratives for 21 neurologically healthy controls and 20 individuals with mTBI were transcribed using CHAT conventions and later analyzed using Computerized Language ANalysis (CLAN). CLAN was used for Microstructure Analysis to yield the following dependent variables related to transcript length and syntax: 1) total number of utterances; 2) mean length of utterance in words (MLUw); and 3) mean length of utterance in morphemes (MLUm). A nonparametric test was used to compare medians for Total Number of Utterances between groups. Parametric tests were used to compare means for mean length of utterance in words (MLUw) and mean length of utterance in morphemes (MLUm) between groups. Results: Forty-one participants across the groups were recruited. Groups did not differ on demographic variables. The study found no significant differences in total number of utterances, MLUw, or MLUm between the NHC and mTBI group. Conclusions: This study did not find significant differences in discourse performance of adults with mTBI and NHC. Across groups, some individuals told long, more detailed retells, and others told broader gist of what happened. If some participants were more verbose, while others told sparser retells, this could impact the detection of between-group differences. These findings further emphasize the need for more sensitive assessments to evaluate the discourse performance of those with mTBI.

Document Type

Master's Thesis

First Advisor

Kathryn J Greenslade

Second Advisor

Amy E Ramage

Third Advisor

Elise Bogart

Degree Name

Master of Science

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