title: Impact of playing American professional football on long-term brain function.
abstract: The authors recruited 100 active and former National Football League players, representing 27 teams and all positions. Players underwent a clinical history, brain SPECT imaging, qEEG, and multiple neuropsychological measures, including MicroCog. Relative to a healthy-comparison group, players showed global decreased perfusion, especially in the prefrontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital lobes, and cerebellar regions. Quantitative EEG findings were consistent, showing elevated slow waves in the frontal and temporal regions. Significant decreases from normal values were found in most neuropsychological tests. This is the first large-scale brain-imaging study to demonstrate significant differences consistent with a chronic brain trauma pattern in professional football players.
authors.affiliation: Amen Clinics, Inc., 4019 Westerly Place, Suite 100, Newport Beach, CA 92660, USA. docamen@amenclinic.com
authors.forename: Daniel G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Amen
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Newberg
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Thatcher
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Keator
authors.forename: Kristen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Willeumier
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D005538:Football / Q000293:injuries* / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D013997:Time Factors