March 10, 2023 – Eric Washington, a former linebacker for the University of Kansas football team, was curious about sports as a baby. “We would collide with each other while playing, and whoever was the strongest or most reckless probably had the best sports career ahead of them,” he says.
He and his friends boxed and played soccer on one another's lawns, “with no equipment or protection, just a lot of guys banging violently into each other.”
In highschool, Washington became a successful football player. “You had to show people you weren't afraid, so you took on bigger… guys and ran into them,” he recalls. “I became one of those fearless people who was known as 'that guy' – a hard-hitting, relentless, ruthless person.”
Washington suffered his first serious brain injury in ninth grade. “It was the first head-on collision that knocked me unconscious, and I missed most of ninth grade because of it,” he says. “I went from being a quiet, reserved, gentle person to an aggressive person with mood swings and tantrums.”
He developed memory and concentration problems that worsened when he began playing college football. “I remember two or three times when I was dazed after a head injury and they took me out, but then I got right back in the game,” he says.
Like Washington, many athletes suffer brain injuries during her careerwith 1.6 to three million Sports and leisure-related concussions Of these, around 300,000 are football events every year.
Cognitive changes following concussions are also common. new study published in the Archive for Clinical Neuropsychology sheds light on the issue.
Washington's concussions and their effects continued into college. During his football scholarship at Kansas, “I thought everything was fine. Even after the concussions, I was able to get back into the game and my body had muscle memory of how to play football and could follow instructions, even if my mind wasn't quite as good.”
Last yr, a neck and spinal cord injury ended his sports profession. “After that, everything went downhill,” he says. “I had terrible relationships, was separated from my family and even homeless for a while. I ended up in mental institutions and dark places and had cognitive problems.”
Does a concussion affect cognitive functions in the long run?
In the brand new study, researchers examined 353 former NFL players (average age 54) who had ended their energetic careers nearly three many years ago.
Using a laptop or tablet, the previous players accomplished a series of neuropsychological tests via a web based platform called TestMyBrain. A variety of cognitive functions were tested, including processing speed, visuospatial and dealing memory, short- and long-term memory, and vocabulary.
The players filled out a 76-question questionnaire, including 10 questions on signs and symptoms of concussion after a blow to the top while playing football: headache, nausea, dizziness, lack of consciousness, memory problems, disorientation, confusion, seizure, visual disturbances or unsteadiness on their feet. They were also asked in the event that they had ever been diagnosed with a concussion.
Lead study writer Dr. Laura Germine, director of the Brain and Cognitive Health Technology Laboratory at McLean Hospital in Boston, says we all know the results of concussions on short-term health, but “it's not so clear how a history of concussion affects long-term cognitive function in former professional football players.”
She says, “There have been many conflicting findings in former players, so we wanted to investigate this question using sensitive, state-of-the-art and objective measures of cognitive function in a larger sample of former players than has previously been tested for this type of study.”
One reason for the “mixed results” of previous research is that some studies focused on diagnosed concussions and cognitive problems. Because many football players ultimately go undiagnosed with concussions, the researchers decided to look specifically on the symptoms of concussions.
Accelerated cognitive aging
Former players who reported more concussion symptoms performed worse on cognitive tests. For example, the differences in visual memory between the players with probably the most and the fewest concussion symptoms were as large because the differences in cognitive performance between a typical 35-year-old and a typical 60-year-old.
However, poorer cognitive performance was not related to the variety of diagnosed concussions, the variety of years as knowledgeable football player, or the age at their first football appearance.
The researchers conducted a follow-up study comparing the 353 players with 5,086 men who didn't play football. They found that cognitive performance was generally worse among the many former players
“Although our results are inconclusive in this regard, we found the largest differences in cognitive performance in older players (compared to men of similar age),” says Germine.
Long-term cognitive problems
Washington continues to struggle with cognitive problems.
“Sometimes my long-term memory seems to be intact, but after a certain period of time 'gaps' appear. Or I look at people and maybe recognize a face, but I no longer know who the people are.”
He also has problems with reading and memory. “My eyes have trouble tracking and locating. And when I read aloud, I stutter and stammer and can't remember what I just read. Sometimes I put the remote control in the freezer or put my phone outside and don't know where it is.”
Washington graduated with a bachelor's degree in applied behavioral science and started working with developmentally disabled adults, but he found schoolwork difficult and has turn into even harder recently.
“I want to become a social worker to help other people, but I probably won't be able to complete the course,” he says.
He is currently being treated for cancer, and the chemotherapy can also be affecting his cognitive abilities. “I got straight A's in one class, but I couldn't remember anything on the final exam, so I got a D and failed,” he says.
He hopes that after the cancer is gone, he can try college again. While the cognitive challenges from his concussions remain formidable, “not having 'chemo brain' will free up some cognitive abilities and hopefully I will do better in my classes and graduate with a social work degree.”
Get the best support
According to Germine, the study results underscore that “parents, school systems and all football players need to understand the importance of reporting any symptoms of a concussion, even if they don't feel serious at the time.”
She points out that “appropriate measures to treat and reduce the effects of a head injury – even if no concussion has been diagnosed – may be key to maintaining long-term cognitive health.”
In addition, “we need to do everything we can to prevent head injuries and concussions in the first place. Measures that reduce the likelihood of head impacts are important to making football safer for developing brains,” she says.
Washington urges people to take head injuries seriously and not only “return to the game.” They must also get evaluated for a concussion and, if diagnosed with a concussion, receive treatment for symptoms (comparable to emotional trauma, attention or memory problems, or vision problems).
In addition, each encourage individuals who have suffered a concussion to hunt emotional support. Washington participates in support groups organized by the Brain Injury Association of America.