Former NFL players who had symptoms of concussion during their careers showed poorer performance on cognitive testing, compared with nonplayers, new research shows.
"While the impact of concussion in the short-term is well established and well understood, it is not as clear how concussion history affects cognitive functioning in the longer term among former professional football players," Germine said.
To investigate, the researchers collected data from 3975 former NFL players who filled out a 76-item health questionnaire between 2015 and 2019 that included 10 questions about their recollection of signs and symptoms of concussion following a blow to the head while playing football. Of this subset, 41.6% graduated college, 32.9% pursued education beyond college, 6.5% attended some college but did not graduate, and 19% were missing educational information.The players' cognitive performance was compared to that of 5086 male nonplayers who completed one or more of the cognitive tests.
Moreover, a concussion symptom score reflecting the number of times the former players experienced loss of consciousness following a blow to the head was significantly associated with worse cognitive performance . "Concussion diagnosis has changed over the years and is impacted by factors like underreporting of symptoms, changing criteria, and doesn’t take into account subconcussive head injury that still may impact cognitive health in the longer-term," said Germane.
The largest limitation of the study, the investigators note, was the lack of information regarding the former players' premorbid or pre-injury cognitive functioning, since"premorbid estimates of cognitive ability are…critical for interpreting post-injury cognitive differences.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
New study finds link between inflammation and long covid symptomsSome of the mental symptoms of long COVID like brain fog and memory issues are likely sparked by inflammation, according to a new study.
Read more »
Mitch McConnell discharged from the hospital after suffering a concussion last weekSenate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was discharged from the hospital after five days of observation and treatment. He tripped and fell during a dinner event last week, resulting in a concussion and minor rib fracture.
Read more »
McConnell discharged from hospital after concussion, fractured ribHe's said to be headed to a rehabilitation facility for in-patient physical therapy.
Read more »
McConnell released from hospital after concussion, fractured ribMcConnell's office said his doctors discovered over the weekend that he had also suffered a 'minor rib fracture' after he tripped and fell at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Washington on Wednesday evening.
Read more »
McConnell released from hospital after concussion, fractured ribMcConnell's office said his doctors discovered over the weekend that he had also suffered a 'minor rib fracture' after he tripped and fell at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Washington on Wednesday evening.
Read more »
McConnell released from hospital after concussion, fractured ribMcConnell's office said his doctors discovered over the weekend that he had also suffered a 'minor rib fracture' after he tripped and fell at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Washington on Wednesday evening.
Read more »