Journal article
Neurophysiological and cognitive impairment following repeated sports concussion injuries in retired professional rugby league players
Brain injury, Vol.32(4), pp.498-505
03/21/2018
DOI: 10.1080/02699052.2018.1430376
PMID: 29388850
Abstract
Background: Concussion is regarded as a common injury in rugby league, however no studies have explored the long-term neurophysiological and cognitive effects of repeated concussion injuries in this sport.
Methods: Former professional rugby athletes (n = 25) were compared to 25 age-matched participants with no history of a concussion. All participants completed standardised motor dexterity, reaction time, and cognitive tasks for working memory, associative learning and rule acquisition and reversal. Single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) acquired motor evoked potentials and cortical silent period (cSP), as well as paired-pulse TMS for short latency intracortical inhibition and long intracortical inhibition (LICI).
Results: Compared to controls, dexterity and visuomotor reaction time was slower in the rugby group compared to controls (p = 0.02, p < 0.01, respectively). The rugby group also demonstrated poorer cognitive performance than controls (p range 0.02 to < 0.01). TMS revealed significantly reduced cSP at suprathreshold stimulation intensities (p range 0.02 to <0.01), and increased LICI (p = 0.03) in the rugby group.
Discussion: These findings of motor and cognitive changes, along with neurophysiological alterations, particularly with intracortical inhibition, nearly two decades post-concussion provides evidence for long-term sequelae for athletes with a history of repeated head trauma in contact sports.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Neurophysiological and cognitive impairment following repeated sports concussion injuries in retired professional rugby league players
- Creators
- Alan J. Pearce - La Trobe UniversityBillymo Rist - La Trobe UniversityClare L. Fraser - The University of SydneyAdrian Cohen - The University of SydneyJerome J. Maller - Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research centre
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Brain injury, Vol.32(4), pp.498-505
- DOI
- 10.1080/02699052.2018.1430376
- PMID
- 29388850
- NLM abbreviation
- Brain Inj
- ISSN
- 0269-9052
- eISSN
- 1362-301X
- Publisher
- Taylor & Francis
- Number of pages
- 8
- Grant note
- Smart Head Play Charity Impact Technologies Samsung Corporation the Australian Football League
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 03/21/2018
- Academic Unit
- Radiology
- Record Identifier
- 9984848508302771
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