MR images from 45 retired professional football players suggest that residual brain damage from the sport may not be as severe as noted in previous research, according to a study published online June 25 in Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach.
Researchers performed in-depth neurological examinations of former National Football League (NFL) players, who ranged in age from 30 to 60 years. The analysis included MRI, susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI), and diffusion-tensor imaging (DTI), as well as neuropsychological and neurological examinations, interviews, blood tests, and apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotyping.
The participants had played an average of 6.8 years in the NFL and reported approximately 6.9 concussions during their careers. The majority had normal clinical mental status. Neuropsychological testing revealed isolated impairments in 11 patients, but no one suffered from dementia. Six players showed symptoms of moderate to severe depression.
None of the subjects had dysarthria, Parkinson's disease, or cerebellar dysfunction. An abnormal gene that may predict future cognitive issues such as dementia was present in 38% of the players, which is greater than the percentage in the general male population.
While the results showed brain lesions and cognitive impairments in some of the players, the majority of individuals in the study did not have clinical signs of chronic brain damage to the degree that has been reported in previous studies, according to lead author and neurologist Dr. Ira Casson from Long Island Jewish Medical Center and the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine.
"The prevailing view that a career in football frequently results in brain damage still needs to be studied further," he said in a release from the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. "With additional funding and time, more detailed analysis can take place to determine the long-term effects of playing football and what can be done to help prevent injuries, especially concussion."
