Baycrest Health Sciences, Rotman Research Institute, Toronto, Canada.
Department of Rehabilitation and Movement Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, New Jersey, USA.
J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2017 Jun;88(6):512-519. doi: 10.1136/jnnp-2016-315260. Epub 2017 Apr 10.
The relationship between repeated concussions and neurodegenerative disease has received significant attention, particularly research in postmortem samples. Our objective was to characterise retired professional ice hockey players' cognitive and psychosocial functioning in relation to concussion exposure and apolipoprotein ε4 status.
Alumni athletes (N=33, aged 34-71 years) and an age-matched sample of comparison participants (N=18) were administered measures of cognitive function and questionnaires concerning psychosocial and psychiatric functioning.
No significant group differences were found on neuropsychological measures of speeded attention, verbal memory or visuospatial functions, nor were significant differences observed on computerised measures of response speed, inhibitory control and visuospatial problem solving. Reliable group differences in cognitive performance were observed on tests of executive and intellectual function; performance on these measures was associated with concussion exposure. Group differences were observed for cognitive, affective and behavioural impairment on psychosocial questionnaires and psychiatric diagnoses. There was no evidence of differential effects associated with age in the alumni athletes. Possession of an apolipoprotein ε4 allele was associated with increased endorsement of psychiatric complaints, but not with objective cognitive performance.
We found only subtle objective cognitive impairment in alumni athletes in the context of high subjective complaints and psychiatric impairment. Apolipoprotein ε4 status related to psychiatric, but not cognitive status. These findings provide benchmarks for the degree of cognitive and behavioural impairment in retired professional athletes and a point of comparison for future neuroimaging and longitudinal studies.
重复脑震荡与神经退行性疾病之间的关系受到了广泛关注，尤其是在尸检样本中的研究。我们的目的是描述退役职业冰球运动员的认知和心理社会功能与脑震荡暴露和载脂蛋白 E4 状态的关系。
校友运动员（N=33，年龄 34-71 岁）和年龄匹配的对照组参与者（N=18）接受了认知功能测试和心理社会及精神功能问卷调查。
在神经心理学测试的速度注意力、言语记忆或视空间功能方面，未发现组间存在显著差异，在计算机测试的反应速度、抑制控制和视空间问题解决方面也未发现显著差异。在执行和智力功能测试上，校友运动员组间的认知表现存在可靠差异；这些测试的表现与脑震荡暴露有关。在心理社会问卷和精神科诊断上，校友运动员组在认知、情感和行为障碍方面存在差异。在校友运动员中，未发现年龄差异的证据。载脂蛋白 E4 等位基因的存在与更多的精神科投诉有关，但与客观认知表现无关。
我们发现，在高主观抱怨和精神障碍的背景下，校友运动员只有轻微的客观认知障碍。载脂蛋白 E4 状态与精神状态有关，但与认知状态无关。这些发现为退役职业运动员的认知和行为障碍程度提供了基准，并为未来的神经影像学和纵向研究提供了比较点。
