Associations Of Concussion And Playing History With Clinical Outcomes In Young College Football Alumni

Abstract

The effects of concussion history (CH) and years of playing football on cognitive function and mood-related symptoms in former football players is unclear. Most former player studies include mid-to-late life individuals, and little is known about younger cohorts. PURPOSE: Assess the influence of CH and years played on cognitive function, mood-related symptoms, and life satisfaction in former football players. METHODS: Former collegiate football players (n = 58; age 37.9 + 1.5 years; BMI 31.3 + 5.0 kg/m2) from 16 schools completed a health survey and subsequent in-person evaluation 15 yrs post-college football. Outcomes included cognitive tests: Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT), revised Hopkins Verbal Learning Test (HVLTr), and Trails A (TMTA) and B (TMTB); and self-reported outcomes: NeuroQOL Cognition Short Form (NQC), Beck Depression (BDI-II) and Anxiety (BAI-II) inventories, and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). Current symptom severity (SS) was reported on the Graded Symptom Checklist alongside typical hours slept per night. CH was split into tertiles: 0-1, 3-6, or 7+ prior concussions. Multivariable linear regression models were used to assess the influence of CH and years played on each outcome with BMI, sleep, and SS as covariates. RESULTS: Model predictors and adjusted R2 values are in Table 1. Higher SS was associated with worse outcomes on most measures. Worse SDMT scores were partially explained by greater CH and years played. In addition to SS, greater CH related to better COWAT performance; those with more sleep had longer TMTA times; and those with lower BMI and more sleep had higher SWLS. CONCLUSIONS: Our data show no clear influence of CH or years played on cognitive function, mood-related symptoms, or life satisfaction. In our relatively young sample, SS at the time of testing was associated with worse outcomes. Continued longitudinal analyses may explain age related changes on these outcomes.