TY - JOUR
T1 - Estimated Age of First Exposure to Contact Sports Is Not Associated with Greater Symptoms or Worse Cognitive Functioning in Male U.S. Service Academy Athletes
AU - Caccese, Jaclyn B.
AU - Iverson, Grant L.
AU - Cameron, Kenneth L.
AU - Houston, Megan N.
AU - McGinty, Gerald T.
AU - Jackson, Jonathan C.
AU - O'Donnell, Patrick
AU - Pasquina, Paul F.
AU - Broglio, Steven P.
AU - McCrea, Michael
AU - McAllister, Thomas
AU - Buckley, Thomas A.
N1 - Funding Information:
Thomas Buckley, Ed.D., ATC has received funding from the National Institute of Health/Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the Office of Naval Research.
Funding Information:
Jaclyn B. Caccese is supported by NIH-NINDS R01 (NS102157-01) grant ( J. Jeka, J. Park, PIs).
Funding Information:
Grant Iverson, PhD, serves as a scientific advisor for BioDirection, Inc., Sway Operations, LLC, and Highmark, Inc. He has received research funding from several test publishing companies, including ImPACT Applications, Inc., CNS Vital Signs, and Psychological Assessment Resources (PAR, Inc.). He has received research funding as a principal investigator from the National Football League and salary support as a collaborator from the Harvard Integrated Program to Protect and Improve the Health of National Football League Players Association Members. He acknowledges unrestricted philanthropic support from ImPACT Applications, Inc., the Heinz Family Foundation, the Boston Bolts, the Mooney-Reed Charitable Foundation, and the Spaulding Research Institute.
Funding Information:
This publication was made possible, in part, with support from the Grand Alliance Concussion Assessment, Research, and Education (CARE) Consortium, funded, in part, by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Department of Defense (DOD). The U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, 820 Chandler Street, Fort Detrick, MD 21702-5014 is the awarding and administering acquisition office. This work was supported by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs through the Combat Casualty Care Program, endorsed by the Department of Defense under Award No. W81XWH-BA170608. Opinions, interpretations, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the authors and are not necessarily endorsed by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs.
Publisher Copyright:
© Copyright 2020, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.
PY - 2020/1/15
Y1 - 2020/1/15
N2 - This study examined the association between estimated age of first exposure (eAFE) to contact sport participation and neurocognitive performance and symptom ratings in U.S. service academy National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) athletes. Male cadets (N = 891), who participate in lacrosse (n = 211), wrestling (n = 170), ice hockey (n = 81), soccer (n = 119), rugby (n = 10), or non-contact sports (n = 298), completed the Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) test before the season. Generalized linear modeling was used to predict each neurocognitive domain score and total symptom severity score. Predictor variables were entered in the following order: group (contact vs. non-contact); eAFE (eAFE <12 years vs. eAFE ≥12 years); group-by-eAFE; and covariates for learning accommodation status, concussion history, and age. The group-by-eAFE interaction was not significant for any of the ImPACT composite scores (Verbal Memory, Wald χ2 = 0.073, p = 0.788; Visual Memory, Wald χ2 = 2.71, p = 0.100; Visual Motor Speed, Wald χ2 = 0.078, p = 0.780; Reaction Time, Wald χ2 = 0.003, p = 0.955; Symptom Severity, Wald χ2 = 2.87, p = 0.090). Learning accommodation history was associated with lower scores on Visual Motor Speed (χ2 = 6.19, p = 0.013, B = -2.97). Older age was associated with faster reaction time (χ2 = 4.40, p = 0.036, B = -0.006) and lesser symptom severity (χ2 = 5.55, p = 0.019, B = -0.068). No other parameters were significant. We observed no association between eAFE, contact sport participation, neurocognitive functioning, or subjectively experienced symptoms in this cohort. Earlier eAFE to contact sport participation is not related to worse neurocognitive performance or greater subjectively experienced symptoms in male U.S. service academy NCAA athletes.
AB - This study examined the association between estimated age of first exposure (eAFE) to contact sport participation and neurocognitive performance and symptom ratings in U.S. service academy National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) athletes. Male cadets (N = 891), who participate in lacrosse (n = 211), wrestling (n = 170), ice hockey (n = 81), soccer (n = 119), rugby (n = 10), or non-contact sports (n = 298), completed the Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) test before the season. Generalized linear modeling was used to predict each neurocognitive domain score and total symptom severity score. Predictor variables were entered in the following order: group (contact vs. non-contact); eAFE (eAFE <12 years vs. eAFE ≥12 years); group-by-eAFE; and covariates for learning accommodation status, concussion history, and age. The group-by-eAFE interaction was not significant for any of the ImPACT composite scores (Verbal Memory, Wald χ2 = 0.073, p = 0.788; Visual Memory, Wald χ2 = 2.71, p = 0.100; Visual Motor Speed, Wald χ2 = 0.078, p = 0.780; Reaction Time, Wald χ2 = 0.003, p = 0.955; Symptom Severity, Wald χ2 = 2.87, p = 0.090). Learning accommodation history was associated with lower scores on Visual Motor Speed (χ2 = 6.19, p = 0.013, B = -2.97). Older age was associated with faster reaction time (χ2 = 4.40, p = 0.036, B = -0.006) and lesser symptom severity (χ2 = 5.55, p = 0.019, B = -0.068). No other parameters were significant. We observed no association between eAFE, contact sport participation, neurocognitive functioning, or subjectively experienced symptoms in this cohort. Earlier eAFE to contact sport participation is not related to worse neurocognitive performance or greater subjectively experienced symptoms in male U.S. service academy NCAA athletes.
KW - concussion, mild traumatic brain injury, neurocognitive
KW - repetitive head impacts
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85077404083&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1089/neu.2019.6571
DO - 10.1089/neu.2019.6571
M3 - Article
C2 - 31375052
AN - SCOPUS:85077404083
SN - 0897-7151
VL - 37
SP - 334
EP - 339
JO - Journal of Neurotrauma
JF - Journal of Neurotrauma
IS - 2
ER -