Citation

Ruiter KI, Boshra R, Doughty M, Noseworthy M, Connolly JF. Clin. Neurophysiol. 2018; 130(1): 111-121.

Affiliation

Department of Linguistics and Languages, McMaster University, Togo Salmon Hall 513, 1280 Main Street, West Hamilton, ON L8S 4M2, Canada; ARiEAL Research Centre, McMaster University, L.R. Wilson Hall, 1280 Main Street, West Hamilton, ON L8S 4M2, Canada; School of Biomedical Engineering, McMaster University, ETB-406, 1280 Main St., West Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada; MaRS Centre, Vector Institute, Canada; McMaster University, Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, Canada. Electronic address: jconnol@mcmaster.ca.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.clinph.2018.10.013

PMID

30522024

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Recent studies demonstrate that sports-related concussions can have negative consequences on long-term brain health. The goal of the present study was to determine whether retired Canadian Football League (CFL) athletes with a history of concussions exhibit alterations in neurocognitive functioning, along with changes in physical, social, and psychological health.

METHODS: Our study compared nineteen retired CFL athletes' concussion histories to eighteen healthy age-matched controls with no history of concussion. Self-report inventories were used to assess depression, memory, attention, and general health. Neurophysiological markers of cognitive function were evaluated with event-related brain potentials (ERPs) as measured in two protocols: (1) A Mismatch Negativity (MMN) protocol for assessing the automatic early attentional brain mechanism; and, (2) a P300 auditory oddball task for assessing consciously controlled attention.

RESULTS: Relative to controls, CFL players exhibited: response delays and reduced amplitudes in neurophysiological responses; overall decreases in cognitive function; and poorer scores on self-reports of physical, social, and psychological health; reflecting problems in all three categories.

CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate that multiple concussions sustained over several years can lead to altered cognitive and psychosocial function. SIGNIFICANCE: Neurophysiological markers of conscious and pre-conscious attention provide an objective assessment for evaluating long-term cognitive consequences of concussion.

Copyright © 2018 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

Behavioral assessment; Concussion; EEG; Event-related potentials; Football; mTBI