What Helps Some Former Pro Football Players Remain Healthy Despite Repeated Head Trauma?

Aug 18, 2016

ARLINGTON, Va. – Awareness is rising among current and former NFL players about the risks their chosen profession has on their long-term health, as exposure to repetitive blows to the head has been associated with the neurodegenerative disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

While currently the condition can only be confirmed postmortem, it does have recognizable symptoms at the onset of the disease. Mainly, behavioral/mood changes can begin at approximately age 35 years that can progress to subsequent cognitive deficits. Alternatively, there can be cognitive impairment later in life that progresses to dementia.

According to a study published online today by the Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences (JNCN), researchers at Boston University found that a high level of “cognitive reserve” – developed by high education or demanding jobs -- might help to stave off these symptoms of CTE, prolonging the cognitive health of athletes once they leave the game.

Cognitive reserve refers to higher-order processes or complex compensatory strategies taking place in the brain to overcome damaged areas. It is thought that individuals who achieve higher education or jobs in professional, technical, and managerial positions that require strategic thinking might have strengthened the brain against decline caused by injury.

The researchers interviewed the next of kin of 25 former professional football players whose brains had been donated for scientific study and were found to have CTE. The interviews elicited the age at onset of cognitive, behavioral, and mood symptoms as well as education and occupational level attained. It was found that those individuals with a higher level of occupational attainment had later onset of the clinical manifestations of CTE.

The Editor of JNCN, David Arciniegas, M.D., hails the findings: “We know almost nothing about the risk or resilience factors relevant to CTE. This article therefore is the first of its kind to begin informing on resilience factors (in this case, high occupational attainment) that may modify the risk for this condition among those at high-risk.”

The American Psychiatric Association is a national medical specialty society whose more than 36,500 physician members specialize in the diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and research of mental illnesses, including substance use disorders.

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