4/3/2023 0 Comments On1 effects 2021 crackHowever, schoolwork was difficult and has become even more difficult of late. Washington did complete college, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in applied behavioral science that led him to work with adults with developmental disabilities. On the other hand, poorer cognitive performance wasn’t connected to the number of diagnosed concussions, the number of years they played professional football, or the age when the first played football. For example, the differences in visual memory between the players with the highest- and lowest- reported concussion symptoms were equal to differences in cognitive performance between a typical 35-year-old and a typical 60-year-old. ![]() But many football players’ concussions don’t end up being diagnosed, so the researchers decided to look specifically at concussion symptoms.įormer players who reported more concussion symptoms scored worse on cognitive tests. One reason for the “mixed findings” in earlier research is that some studies have focused on diagnosed concussions and cognitive problems. She says there “have been lots of mixed findings in former players, so we wanted to address this question using sensitive, state-of-the-art and objective measures of cognitive function in a larger samples of former players than has previously been tested for this kind of study.” Senior study author Laura Germine, PhD, director of the Laboratory for Brain and Cognitive Health Technology at McLean Hospital in Boston, says we know the impact of concussions on short-term health, but “it’s not as clear how concussion history impacts cognitive functioning in the longer term among former professional football players.” They were also asked if they had ever been diagnosed with a concussion. The players completed a 76-item questionnaire that included 10 questions about signs and symptoms of concussion following a blow to the head while playing football: headaches, nausea, dizziness, loss of consciousness, memory problems, disorientation, confusion, seizure, visual problems, or feeling unsteady on their feet. An array of cognitive functions were tested, including processing speed, visual-spatial and working memory, short- and long-term memory, and vocabulary. Using a laptop or tablet, the former players completed a battery of neuropsychological tests through an online platform called TestMyBrain. In the new study, investigators examined 353 former NFL players (average age, 54 years old) who had been retired from their playing careers for close to 3 decades. I ended up in mental institutions and in dark places and with cognitive problems.”ĭoes Concussion Affect Long-Term Cognitive Functioning? “I ended up in terrible relationships, distant from my family, and even homeless for a while. “Everything spiraled downward after that,” he says. Even after my concussions, I could still get back in the game and my body retained ‘muscle memory’ of how to play football and could follow directions, even if my mind wasn’t quite there anymore.”ĭuring senior year, a neck and spinal cord injury ended his sports career. While on a football scholarship at Kansas, “I thought everything was OK. A new study published in the Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology shines light on the problem.įor Washington, the concussions, and their effects, continued into college. Like Washington, many athletes experience brain injuries during their careers, with between 1.6 and 3 million sports- and recreation-related concussions taking place annually, around 300,000 of which are from football.Ĭognitive changes following concussions are also common. “I remember two or three times when I got dazed after a head injury and they took me out, but then I got right back in the game,” he says. He developed problems with memory and concentration, which worsened as he got into college football. ![]() “I went from being a quiet, reserved, mild-mannered person to being aggressive, having mood swings, and lashing out.” “It was the first head-on-head collision that knocked me out and I missed much of ninth grade because of it,” he says. ![]() Washington’s first major brain injury took place in ninth grade. “I became one of those fearless people who was known as ‘that guy’ - a hard-hitter, relentless, reckless person.” “You had to show people you weren’t scared, so you took on bigger … guys and ran into them,” he recalls. In high school, Washington became a successful football player. He and his friends boxed and played football on each other’s lawns “with no equipment or protection, just a lot of guys engaging in high collision together.” ![]() “We crashed into each other when we played, and whoever was strongest or most reckless was thought to have the best sports career ahead of them,” he says. Ma- Eric Washington, former linebacker for the University of Kansas’ football team, got involved with sports as a child.
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