A new research held by the Boston University focuses on repetitive hits to the head rather than diagnosed concussions on football players, connecting the hits to depression, mood swings, and memory loss.
In the past few month studies and articles on football, injuries have proven that the sport endangers the player’s life, even after retiring from the sport. A new research held by scientists and neurologist has linked constant head impacts to serious depression and mood issues.
The study published on March 30th in the Journal Neurotrauma was guided by Dr. Philip Holmes Montenigro, a researcher at Boston University School of Medicine. Montenigro with a team of students and colleagues created a method to better understand constant head impacts on football players.
With a group of 93 former amateur football players, from ages 24 to 82 years old. The team of researchers estimated a total number of head impacts during a football player’s career. Taking data such as The total of seasons played by the player, position played and the level of play and impact frequencies based on helmet’s accelerometer.
With the data, the team created the Cumulative Head Impact Exposure Index (CHII), that revealed an average 7,742 head impacts during a relative short football career. The index was applied to the 93 former players, using the standardized telephone-based cognitive test as well as a self-reported behavioral/mood tests.
The study revealed a relationship between the index and long life cognitive impairment, players reported dysfunction, depression, apathy and behavioral dysregulation.
According to Dr. Robert Stern, co-author of the study, these findings will help clarify and get a better understanding of constant impacts on players that don’t include plain concussions
“There has been a tremendous amount of growth in the last several years on the prevention, detection and management of symptomatic concussions across all levels of play and all sports. The problem is that the focus on concussion has taken away from an appropriate discussion about the more common subconcussive trauma” Said Dr. Robert Stern in a statement to The Washington Post.
Even though the study’s findings create a wider approach to the study of head impacts and its consequences, the research was limited to a tight expectrous and it’s intended to continue on larger groups.
Source: Sports Illustrated