Abstract
Boxing and other combat sports may serve as a human model to study the effects of repetitive head trauma on brain structure and function. The initial description of what is now known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) was reported in boxers in 1928. In the ensuing years, studies examining boxers have described the clinical features of CTE, its relationship to degree of exposure to fighting, and an array of radiologic findings. The field has been hampered by issues related to study design, lack of longitudinal follow-up, and absence of agreed-upon clinical criteria for CTE. A recently launched prospective cohort study of professional fighters, the Professional Fighters Brain Health Study, attempts to overcome some of the problems in studying fighters. Here, we review the cross-sectional results from the first year of the project.
Highlights
It is not surprising that the long-term neurological consequences of cumulative head trauma were initially recognized in professional boxers [1]
Beginning in 1928, when Harrison Martland described the clinical features that constitute what is known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) [1], many articles have been written about the neurological consequences of boxing in both amateurs and professionals
It is generally conceded that there is still much work to be done in CTE, understanding its natural history, determining its risk factors, developing diagnostic methods including predictive biomarkers, and discovering therapeutic measures
Summary
It is not surprising that the long-term neurological consequences of cumulative head trauma were initially recognized in professional boxers [1]. The main objective of the PFBHS is to determine the relationships between measures of head trauma exposure, along with other potential modifiers, and changes in brain imaging and neurological/behavioral function over time. Above 5 years, there was a 1% reduction in caudate volume per additional year of professional fighting (P
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