UK | A series of studies has determined the probability of retired professional rugby players developing dementia in later life or other cognitive concerns.
Two studies have found that retired professional rugby players had changes in their brains and raised levels of proteins in their blood that could increase the risk of developing dementia in later life.
Although it’s too early to say whether these players will go on to develop dementia, the study continues for a few more years. Hopefully, this will provide further insight into whether these markers continue to change, and how this could impact the rugby players’ memory and thinking abilities.
Around half (45 percent) of dementia cases are linked to established health and lifestyle risk factors, which we have some control over, including traumatic brain injury from contact sports like rugby.
People who play contact sports like rugby are more prone to having head impact and injuries.
Traumatic brain injury happens when a head injury disrupts how the brain normally functions. It can range from a concussion to more severe cases resulting in coma and in some cases, death.
If nobody experienced a severe head injury, there’d be three fewer cases of dementia for every 100 people who develop it now.
So, finding ways to prevent and lessen the impact of head injuries is crucial.
Scientists at Imperial College London studied 200 retired rugby players aged 30 to 61 years old. To estimate their history of traumatic brain injuries, players were asked about their career length, position and the number of concussions they recall experiencing.
Information on the players was compared with that of 33 individuals with no experience in rugby or a history of head injuries.
All the participants underwent brain scans and blood tests for a protein called p-tau217, which indicates the presence of dementia-related changes in the brain. They also had tests of their memory and thinking abilities to check for any signs of dementia.
Although none of the former rugby players developed young-onset dementia during the study, they did show changes known to be linked to dementia.
Many of the former players had less brain tissue in areas that play important roles in thinking and memory. They also had higher levels p-tau217 in their blood, indicating a higher future risk of Alzheimer’s disease – the most common cause of dementia.
Despite these biological changes, the retired players showed no difference in memory and thinking abilities compared with people with no experience of rugby or head injuries.
“Not much is known about how traumatic brain injury causes long-term changes to the brain, so the findings from this latest research raise some interesting areas for further study,” said Dr Jacqui Hanley, Head of Research at Alzheimer’s Research UK.
“As this study is running for four more years, it will be interesting to see what else it reveals and if the physical changes seen here will predict memory and thinking problems later in their lives.”
There are also key limitations to bear in mind, such as the reliance on self-reporting and interviews to determine traumatic brain injury history.
“Deepening our understanding around traumatic brain injury could ultimately help lower dementia risk for professional sportspeople, but more research will be required for this. In the meantime, reducing traumatic brain injury in contact sports is critical to help prevent brain damage and minimise dementia risk for the players,” said Dr Hanley.
This growing body of evidence underscores the need for strong guidelines from policymakers and sporting bodies, many of whom are aware of this issue and some have already begun implementing policies that are making protection from head injury a priority.
Experiencing traumatic brain injury, through sport or otherwise, does not guarantee that someone will develop dementia, but it does increase the risk.
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