799 MEP151 – Cognitive-motor integration in male youths is not affected by football head impact exposure after eight weeks of elite league play

AbstractBackground Millions of children worldwide playing football are exposed to repetitive head impacts (RHIs) via heading the ball. Cognitive-motor integration (CMI) tasks involve decoupling vision and movement and are sensitive measures of brain function. It is unclear if football RHIs affect youth brain function.Objective The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between CMI task performance and cumulative head impacts in male youth football players.Design A prospective cohort study of elite male youth football players from a single team during one season of play.Setting An elite youth football team was followed for a full season. Participants A subset of seven male youth players (under-13 years old) from a 17-player convenience sample was used for this preliminary analysis.Assessment of Risk Factors Frequency, peak linear acceleration (PLA), and peak rotation velocity (PRV) of head impacts experienced during practices and games were measured via instrumented mouthguards. Eight weeks of head impacts including three CMI testing sessions (baseline and two follow-ups) were used for this analysis.Main Outcome Measurements Reaction time, total movement time, peak velocity, full path length, and direction reversal errors were measured during CMI testing sessions.Results Over eight weeks, a total of 129 head impacts occurred during games and 260 during practices with players averaging 1.3 head impacts per game and 1.2 head impacts per practice. The median (25–75 percentile) PLA and PRV for head impacts were 14.3 (7–44) g and 7 (0.9–29) rad/s, respectively. Cumulative head impacts were not significantly associated with changes in any of the five CMI performance variables.Conclusions Low doses of head impact exposure do not result in measurable brain function changes. Nevertheless, given the potential short- and long-term consequences, football coaches should emphasize controlling the ball with the feet and structure practices to reduce unnecessary RHIs.