Athletes who do not immediately report symptoms of a concussion and continue to participate in athletic activity are at risk for longer recoveries than athletes who immediately report symptoms and are immediately removed from activity. Continuing to participate in athletic activity during the immediate aftermath of a concussion potentially exposes the already injured brain to compounded neuropathophysiologic processes.

I-RFA is a protective factor associated with less severe acute symptoms and shorter recovery after SRC. Conveying this message to athletes, coaches, and others involved in the care of athletes may promote timely injury reporting.

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neuropathologically defined disease reportedly linked to a history of repetitive brain trauma. As such, retired collision sport athletes are likely at heightened risk for developing CTE. Researchers have described distinct pathological features of CTE as well a wide range of clinical symptom presentations, recently termed traumatic encephalopathy syndrome (TES). These clinical symptoms are highly variable, non-specific to individuals described as having CTE pathology in case reports, and are often associated with many other factors. This review describes the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral changes associated with 1) developmental and demographic factors, 2) neurodevelopmental disorders, 3) normal aging, 4) adjusting to retirement, 5) drug and alcohol abuse, 6) surgeries and anesthesia, and 7) sleep difficulties, as well as the relationship between these factors and risk for developing dementia-related neurodegenerative disease. We discuss why some professional athletes may be particularly susceptible to many of these effects and the importance of choosing appropriate controls groups when designing research protocols. We conclude that these factors should be considered as modifiers predominantly of the clinical outcomes associated with repetitive brain trauma within a broader biopsychosocial framework when interpreting and attributing symptom development, though also note potential effects on neuropathological outcomes. Importantly, this could have significant treatment implications for improving quality of life.

Study results show that (1) based on activity type, games and preseason training camp present the greatest risk of sustaining a concussion; (2) based on play type, special teams plays pose the greatest risk of sustaining a concussion; and (3) the 2010 NCAA concussion management policy coincided with a significant increase in recognition of concussion.

ObjectiveTo describe variability in concussion biomarker concentrations collected from serum in a sample of healthy collegiate athletes, as well as report reliability metrics in a subsample of female athletes.MethodsIn this observational cohort study, β-amyloid peptide 42 (Aβ42), total tau, S100 calcium binding protein B (S100B), ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolyzing enzyme L1 (UCH-L1), glial fibrillary acidic protein, microtubule associated protein 2, and 2′,3′-cyclic-nucleotide 3′-phosphodiesterase (CNPase) serum concentrations were measured in 415 (61% male, 40% white, aged 19.0 ± 1.2 years) nonconcussed collegiate athletes without recent exposure to head impacts. Standardized normative distributions are reported for each biomarker. We evaluated main effects (analyses of variance) of sex and race, reporting demographic-specific normative metrics when appropriate. In a subset of 31 female participants, test-retest reliability (Pearson r) and reliable change indices (80%, 90%, and 95% confidence intervals) across a 6- to 12-month interval are reported for Aβ42, total tau, S100B, and UCH-L1.ResultsMales exhibited higher UCH-L1 (p < 0.001, Cohen d = 0.75) and S100B (p < 0.001, d = 0.56) than females, while females had higher CNPase (p < 0.001, d = 0.43). Regarding race, black participants had higher baseline levels of UCH-L1 (p < 0.001, d = 0.61) and S100B (p < 0.001, d = 1.1) than white participants. Conversely, white participants had higher baseline levels of Aβ42 (p = 0.005, d = 0.28) and CNPase (p < 0.001, d = 0.46). Test-retest reliability was generally poor, ranging from −0.02 to 0.40, and Aβ42 significantly increased from time 1 to time 2.ConclusionHealthy collegiate athletes express concussion-related serum biomarkers in variable concentrations. Accounting for demographic factors such as sex and race is essential. Evidence suggested poor reliability for serum biomarkers; however, understanding how other factors influence biomarker expression, as well as knowledge of reliable change metrics, may improve clinical interpretation and future study designs.