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Sports-related concussions — media, science and policy

Abstract

Although growing awareness about the potential long-term deleterious effects of sport-related concussion has led to increased attention to the risks of collision sports, calls to ban these sports, such as American football, might be premature. Collision sports have a relatively high incidence of concussions, but participation in these sports also confers a host of benefits. In addition, the associated risks of participation, including concussion, have not been definitively shown to outweigh the benefits they provide, and the risk–benefit ratio might vary among individuals. The risks of concussion and repetitive concussions associated with collision sports are unknown in the general population and not well characterized even in elite athlete populations. In this article, we discuss current knowledge on sports-related concussion, its neurological consequences, and implications for regulation of the practice of collision sports.

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Figure 1: From concussion to CTE — sequence of events and knowledge gaps.
Figure 2: Rates of concussions linked to main collision sports in student athletes.

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Acknowledgements

R.M. is supported by a training grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (T32 HD40128-11A1). A.P.-L. is supported by funding from the Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center (NCRR and the NCATS NIH, UL1 RR025758), the Sidney R. Baer, Jr. Foundation, the Football Players Health Study at Harvard University, and various grants from the NIH.

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All authors researched data for article, discussed its content, and wrote and edited the article before submission.

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Correspondence to Rebekah Mannix.

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R.M. and W.P.M.'s research is supported by funding from the National Hockey League Alumni Association through the Corey C. Griffin Pro-Am Tournament. The work of W.P.M., A.P.-L. and R.M. is supported by the Football Players Health Study at Harvard University. W.P.M. receives royalties from ABC-Clio publishing for the sale of his book Kids, Sports, and Concussion: A Guide for Coaches and Parents, and royalties from Wolters Kluwer for working as an author for UpToDate. He is under contract with ABC-Clio publishing for a future book entitled Concussions, and with Springer International Publishing for a future book entitled Head and Neck Injuries in Young Athletes. The content of this article is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of Harvard Catalyst, Harvard University and its affiliated academic health-care centres, the NIH, the Sidney R. Baer, Jr. Foundation, or the National Football League Players Association.

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Post-concussion syndrome

Persistent symptoms after a head injury, including at least three of the following: headache, dizziness, fatigue, irritability, impaired memory and concentration, insomnia, and lowered tolerance for noise and light.

Lytico–bodig disease

Neurodegenerative disease with clinical symptoms of paralysis and dementia, and autopsy findings of neurofibrillary tangles

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Mannix, R., Meehan, W. & Pascual-Leone, A. Sports-related concussions — media, science and policy. Nat Rev Neurol 12, 486–490 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2016.99

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