The effects of a dietary supplement on brain function and structure in Junior A ice hockey players: a prospective randomized trial

Abstract

Background Neurocognitive impairment linked to head impact exposure in otherwise healthy, non-concussed athletes may be associated with adverse long-term outcomes. The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate whether a dietary supplement, Synaquell™, supports brain function and structure in male Junior A ice hockey players over the course of a season. Methods Players underwent pre-season testing, were randomized into a placebo or dietary supplement group, then were retested after the season. Objective tests included: NeuroCatch® portable evoked potential platform, King-Devick Test of rapid number naming, and blood biomarker assay for neurofilament light chain (NfL). Results Multivariate analysis revealed significant differences in neurocognitive changes between groups from pre to postseason after controlling for covariates related to head impact exposure. Post-hoc tests showed significant within-subject differences between groups from pre- to post-season in both N100 latency (p = 0.005) and King-Devick score (p = 0.043). Univariate tests of the NeuroCatch results replicated prior findings of a N400 amplitude decrease (p = 0.017) and N100 latency increase (p = 0.049) in the placebo group, but not in the dietary supplement group. Conclusions This prospective, randomized trial showed that, compared to the placebo group, a multi-ingredient dietary supplement significantly affected objective measures of brain function and structure in Junior A ice hockey players from pre- to post-season. Further investigation into the effects of dietary supplementation on the contact athletes brain is warranted.

An objective neurophysiological study of subconcussion in female and male high school student athletes

“…Subconcussive N400 changes replicate four previous studies on subconcussion (Breuer et al 2023;Fickling et al 2019;Fickling, Smith, et al 2021;Fickling, Poel, et al 2021). The N400 is commonly associated with high-order cognitive semantic processing (Kutas and Federmeier 2011;D'Arcy et al 2004) and measures changes in semantic processing, suggesting the initial demonstration of cognitive changes due to contact (Connolly and D'Arcy 2000;D'Arcy et al 2003;Gawryluk et al 2010;Ghosh Hajra et al 2018).…”

“…While the emerging subconcussive findings are concerning, the demonstrated utility of using brain vital signs to objectively identify acute cognitive changes associated with repeated impact exposure has enabled clinical trials on potential interventions. A recent study on subconcussion focused on a prospective randomized placebo-controlled trial evaluating the effect of a dietary supplement effects created to reduce neuroinflammation and support energy production, on brain structure and function in Junior-A ice hockey players (Breuer et al 2023). Breuer et al (2023) randomized players into two groups: a group that took a supplement containing a combination of non-pharmacological ingredients shown to support brain health (Synaquell™ - Thorne Research Inc., NY, USA) daily over the season and a placebo control group who followed the same protocol without supplementation.…”

“…A recent study on subconcussion focused on a prospective randomized placebo-controlled trial evaluating the effect of a dietary supplement effects created to reduce neuroinflammation and support energy production, on brain structure and function in Junior-A ice hockey players (Breuer et al 2023). Breuer et al (2023) randomized players into two groups: a group that took a supplement containing a combination of non-pharmacological ingredients shown to support brain health (Synaquell™ - Thorne Research Inc., NY, USA) daily over the season and a placebo control group who followed the same protocol without supplementation. Multivariate analyses showed significant neurocognitive pre- to post- season changes in only the control group, with significant negative impacts on the N100 and N400 along with reduced saccadic eye movement (King-Devick Test) and neurofilament light chain measures.…”

“…Therefore, emerging subconcussive research must be inclusive of both female and male athletes. This is a timely priority as new intervention options begin to emerge from the clinical trials literature (Breuer et al 2023).…”

“…Identification of subconcussive cognitive impairments over a season of contact sports was initially reported in male Junior-A ice hockey players [ (Fickling et al 2019), N=23]. Subsequent studies [ (Fickling, Smith, et al 2021), N=23; (Fickling, Poel, et al 2021), N=15; (Breuer et al 2023), N=30] replicated and confirmed identification of accumulated subconcussive exposure in male athletes for different age ranges (12-14, 16-21, & 21-28, respectively) and different contact sports, including ice hockey, tackle football, and mixed martial arts. Importantly, this work demonstrated strong, significant, and linearly predictive relationships between brain vital sign changes and exposure to subconcussive impacts (Fickling, Smith, et al 2021;Fickling, Poel, et al 2021).…”