No association between age beginning tackle football, or years played and neurocognitive performance later-in-life among older National Football League retirees

摘要

Objective In a retrospective cohort, we evaluated whether age beginning tackle football (ABTF) and more total years of playing football (TYPF) were associated with worse later-in-life neuropsychological change among older retired National Football League (NFL) players. Method Participants were 19 older NFL retirees aged 54-79, including 12 who returned for follow-up evaluation 15-51 months later. Mixed-linear models evaluated the association between ABTF/TYFP and baseline neuropsychological composite scores (executive functioning/attention/speed, language, memory), and neuropsychological composites over time. Results ABTF and TYPF were not significantly associated with neuropsychological composites at baseline or over time (all p's > .05). There were no significant differences in neuropsychological performance between those ABTF = 12 years old (all p's >= .475) or between those with TYPF = 19 years played (median split; all p's >= .208). Conclusions Preliminary findings suggest that ABTF and TYPF does not worsen neurocognitive decline later-in-life among older NFL retirees.