title: Participation in Pre-High School Football and Neurological, Neuroradiological, and Neuropsychological Findings in Later Life: A Study of 45 Retired National Football League Players.
abstract: A recent study found that an earlier age of first exposure (AFE) to tackle football was associated with long-term neurocognitive impairment in retired National Football League (NFL) players.
  
  
  
  To assess the association between years of exposure to pre-high school football (PreYOE) and neuroradiological, neurological, and neuropsychological outcome measures in a different sample of retired NFL players.
  
  
  
  Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3.
  
  
  
  Forty-five former NFL players were included in this study. All participants prospectively completed extensive history taking, a neurological examination, brain magnetic resonance imaging, and a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests. To measure the associations between PreYOE and these outcome measures, multiple regression models were utilized while controlling for several covariates.
  
  
  
  After applying a Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons, none of the neurological, neuroradiological, or neuropsychological outcome measures yielded a significant relationship with PreYOE. A second Bonferroni-corrected analysis of a subset of these athletes with self-reported learning disability yielded no significant relationships on paper-and-pencil neurocognitive tests but did result in a significant association between learning disability and computerized indices of visual motor speed and reaction time.
  
  
  
  The current study failed to replicate the results of a prior study, which concluded that an earlier AFE to tackle football might result in long-term neurocognitive deficits. In 45 retired NFL athletes, there were no associations between PreYOE and neuroradiological, neurological, and neuropsychological outcome measures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Surgery, Vanderbilt Sports Concussion Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA gary.solomon@vanderbilt.edu.
authors.forename: Gary S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Solomon
authors.affiliation: MedSport-Sports Medicine and Physical Therapy, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Kuhn
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Surgery, Vanderbilt Sports Concussion Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
authors.forename: Scott L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Zuckerman
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine, Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Ira R
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: Casson
authors.affiliation: ProBiomechanics LLC, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, USA Department of Biomedical Engineering and Radiology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA.
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Viano
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Mark R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Lovell
authors.forename: Allen K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Sills
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D056352:Athletes / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005538:Football; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012179:Retirement; D014481:United States
keywords: National Football League; concussion; exposure; football; youth