Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:
In an investigation of head impact burden and change in neurocognitive function during a season of youth football, researchers find that sub-concussive impacts are not correlated with worsening performance in neurocognitive function.
[...] A research team, led by Sean Rose, MD, pediatric sports neurologist and co-director of the Complex Concussion Clinic at Nationwide Children's Hospital, followed 112 youth football players age 9-18 during the 2016 season in a prospective study.
"When trying to determine the chronic effects of repetitive sub-concussive head impacts, prospective outcomes studies are an important complement to the existing retrospective studies," says Dr. Rose. "In this study of primary school and high school football players, a battery of neurocognitive outcomes tests did not detect any worsening of performance associated with cumulative head impacts."
[...] In their secondary analysis, they found that younger age and reported history of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) predicted score changes on several cognitive testing measures and parent-reported ADHD symptoms. Additionally, a reported history of anxiety or depression predicted changes in scores of symptom reporting.
-- submitted from IRC
(Score: 2) by termigator on Thursday October 18 2018, @02:15AM
Problem is the study’s time period is too short. Cognative problems can take a long time to develop, where damage to the brain may have occurred, but has yet to show symptoms. Hmm, scanning the article, this does appear to be part of a four year study. I wonder why they bothered to publish stuff now vs waiting until the study is fully complete.
Not sure if it is possible or practical, but would be worth compare kids who only played one year and quit. Same with a 2-year group and then evaluate them a few years later to see if there is any long term effects of playing only for a smaller period of time vis-a-vis all through school. Maybe include MRIs to see if there is any damage that has yet to show external symptoms.