Brain health concerns in former rugby players: clinical and cognitive phenotypes

作者：Thomas D. Parker, Jessica Hain, Erin Jane Rooney, Karl Zimmerman, Ying Lee, Martina Del Giovane, Neil Graham, Maneesh C. Patel, Adam Hampshire, Mathew G Wilson, Daniel Friedland, David Sharp, Richard Sylvester · 发表于：Brain · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1093/brain/awae416 · 被引用次数：9 · 研究领域：Traumatic Brain Injury Research、Cardiovascular Effects of Exercise、Heart Rate Variability and Autonomic Control

Epidemiological studies have shown that elite rugby players are at greater risk of neurodegenerative disease in later life, with post-mortem studies conducted in ex-players demonstrating the presence of neuropathologies related to repetitive head impacts, such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy. However, detailed prospective data establishing the clinical presentation of former rugby players with brain health concerns are lacking. In particular, the rates of traumatic encephalopathy syndrome, the clinical correlate of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and the relationship between clinical outcomes and repetitive head impacts are unknown. Two hundred former elite rugby players with brain health concerns and 33 matched healthy control subjects were assessed. Self-reported concussion history, career duration, player position, self-rated scales of depression, anxiety, sleep quality, post-concussion symptoms and quality of life, self and informant ratings of neuropsychiatric symptoms and executive function behaviours, were obtained. Formal cognitive testing, traumatic encephalopathy syndrome classification and 3 T MRI were performed. Former players had a median age of 44 years (90.5% male, median career length = 10.5 years, median self-reported career concussions = 7); 63% were forwards and 37% were backs. Ex-players had elevated scores compared to controls on all symptom scales except sleep quality. Despite frequent subjective memory complaints, performance on cognitive testing ...