The Journal of head trauma rehabilitation
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J Head Trauma Rehabil · Sep 2018
Multimodal Imaging of Retired Professional Contact Sport Athletes Does Not Provide Evidence of Structural and Functional Brain Damage.
Long-term consequences of playing professional football and hockey on brain function and structural neuronal integrity are unknown. ⋯ This multimodal imaging study did not show any microstructural, metabolic brain tissue injury differences in retired contact versus non-contact sport athletes.
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J Head Trauma Rehabil · Sep 2018
An Exploratory Study of Mild Cognitive Impairment of Retired Professional Contact Sport Athletes.
To test the hypothesis that mild cognitive impairment (MCI) rates are higher among retired professional contact sport athletes than in noncontact athlete controls and compare history of contact sports with other MCI risk factors. ⋯ Athletes with a history of playing professional contact sports had more vascular risk factors and higher depression scores. MCI rates were somewhat higher, though not significant.
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J Head Trauma Rehabil · Sep 2018
Evaluation of Executive Function and Mental Health in Retired Contact Sport Athletes.
To compare retired professional contact sport athletes with age-matched noncontact sport athletes on measures of executive function and mental health. ⋯ Participation in contact sports at the professional level may not lead to later-life executive dysfunction, as the popular media and some research currently suggest.
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J Head Trauma Rehabil · Sep 2018
A Preliminary Study of Early-Onset Dementia of Former Professional Football and Hockey Players.
To provide an overview of 3 studies of the same population of retired professional contact sport athletes compared with age-matched noncontact sport athlete controls on cognition, executive function, behavior, and advanced brain imaging. ⋯ None of the retired contact sport athletes qualified as having early-onset dementia consistent with chronic traumatic encephalopathy. There were no remarkable differences in imaging, cognition, behavior, or executive function from noncontact sport athletes. The results underscore an apparent disconnect between public perceptions and evidence-based conclusions about the inevitability of chronic traumatic encephalopathy and the potential neurodegenerative effect on former athletes from contact sports.