• Ryan T Tierney, Jamie L Mansell, Michael Higgins, Jane K McDevitt, Nieka Toone, John P Gaughan, Anarug Mishra, and Evgeny Krynetskiy.
• Department of Kinesiology, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. rtierney@temple.edu
• Clin J Sport Med. 2010 Nov 1; 20 (6): 464-8.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the association between apolipoprotein E (APOE) polymorphisms (E2, C/T Arg158Cys; E4, T/C Cys112Arg; and promoter, g-219t) and the history of concussion in college athletes. We hypothesized that carrying 1 or more APOE rare (or minor) allele assessed in this study would be associated with having a history of 1 or more concussions.DesignMulticenter cross-sectional study.SettingUniversity athletic facilities.ParticipantsOne hundred ninety-six male football (n = 163) and female soccer (n = 33) college athletes volunteered.InterventionsWritten concussion history questionnaire and saliva samples for genotyping.Main Outcome MeasuresSelf-reported history of a documented concussion and rare APOE genotype (E2, E4, promoter).ResultsThere was a significant association (Wald χ² = 3.82; P = 0.05; odds ratio = 9.8) between carrying all APOE rare alleles and the history of a previous concussion. There was also a significant association (Wald χ² = 3.96, P = 0.04, odds ratio = 8.4) between carrying the APOE promoter minor allele and experiencing 2 or more concussions.ConclusionsCarriers of all 3 APOE rare (or minor) alleles assessed in this study were nearly 10 times more likely to report a previous concussion and may be at a greater risk of concussion versus noncarriers. Promoter minor allele carriers were 8.4 times more likely to report multiple concussions and may be at a greater risk of multiple concussions versus noncarriers. Research involving larger samples of individuals with multiple concussions and carriers of multiple APOE rare alleles is warranted.

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