Retired players with multiple concussions were doing well.
Despite concerns about the long-term cognitive consequences of American professional football, little is known about other professional sports involving repeated concussions. These researchers retrospectively evaluated 52 Scottish retired male international rugby players (RIRPs) and 29 controls for general and neuropsychiatric health and disability.
The authors contacted 350 RIRPs; 52 were assessed. The recruited male controls had ≤1 mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). Because no TBI involved loss of consciousness >30 minutes, all were considered mild. Of the RIRP group, 92% had a concussion, with a mean of 13.9 (median, 7; mean of 2.7 with symptoms >1 hour). Of the controls, 34% had a concussion.
Controls had a higher frequency of chronic car…
Reviewing Author
DisclosuresRoyaltiesTextbook of Traumatic Brain Injury, 2nd and 3rd editions
Editorial BoardsUpToDate; Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesNorth American Brain Injury Association (Board Member); National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (Chair of Data Monitoring Safety Board for study of donepezil on cognition after traumatic brain injury)
DisclosuresRoyaltiesTextbook of Traumatic Brain Injury, 2nd and 3rd editions
Editorial BoardsUpToDate; Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesNorth American Brain Injury Association (Board Member); National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (Chair of Data Monitoring Safety Board for study of donepezil on cognition after traumatic brain injury)