Cerebral concussion: which symptoms should the nurse expect?

• A. Headache, retrograde amnesia, and a transient reduction in LOC.
• B. Deafness, loss of taste, and CSF otorrhea.
• C. Boggy temporal muscle because of extravasation of blood.
• D. CSF otorrhea, vertigo, and Battle's sign with a dural tear.

Answer: (A)

The main idea is that a cerebral concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury that causes temporary brain dysfunction rather than a structural injury. The typical signs are a headache from irritation of the brain, retrograde amnesia (memory loss for events just before the injury), and a brief loss or reduction of consciousness as the brain recovers. This pattern reflects diffuse, short-lived disruption of neural function rather than a skull fracture or bleeding.

Other choices imply skull base fracture or cranial nerve/ear involvement (such as CSF leakage, deafness, loss of taste, Battle’s sign behind the ear, or a boggy temporal muscle from bleeding). Those findings point to fractures or bleeds of the skull and are not characteristic of concussion alone. So the combination of headache, retrograde amnesia, and a transient reduction in level of consciousness best fits cerebral concussion.