Objectives:Years of sport participation (YoP) is conventionally used to estimate cumulative repetitive head impacts (RHI) experienced by contact sport athletes. The relationship of this measure to other estimates of head impact exposure and the potential associations of these measures with neurobehavioral functioning are unknown. We investigated the association between YoP and the Head Impact Exposure Estimate (HIEE), and whether associations between the two estimates of exposure and neurobehavioral functioning varied.Methods:Former American football players (N = 58; age = 37.9 ± 1.5 years) completed in-person evaluations approximately 15 years following sport discontinuation. Assessments consisted of neuropsychological assessment and structured interviews of head impact history (i.e., HIEE). General linear models were fit to test the association between YoP and the HIEE, and their associations with neurobehavioral outcomes.Results:YoP was weakly correlated with the HIEE, p = .005, R2 = .13. Higher YoP was associated with worse performance on the Symbol Digit Modalities Test, p = .004, R2 = .14, and Trail Making Test-B, p = .001, R2 = .18. The HIEE was associated with worse performance on the Delayed Recall trial of the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised, p = .020, R2 = .09, self-reported cognitive difficulties (Neuro-QoL Cognitive Function), p = .011, R2 = .10, psychological distress (Brief Symptom Inventory-18), p = .018, R2 = .10, and behavioral regulation (Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function for Adults), p = .017, R2 = .10.Conclusions:YoP was marginally associated with the HIEE, a comprehensive estimate of head impacts sustained over a career. Associations between each exposure estimate and neurobehavioral functioning outcomes differed. Findings have meaningful implications for efforts to accurately quantify the risk of adverse long-term neurobehavioral outcomes potentially associated with RHI.

中文翻译：

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足球参与年数的不同关联以及前大学足球运动员的头部撞击暴露与神经行为结果的度量

目标：运动参与年数 (YoP) 通常用于估计接触性运动运动员经历的累积重复头部撞击 (RHI)。该测量与其他头部撞击暴露估计值的关系以及这些测量与神经行为功能的潜在关联尚不清楚。我们调查了 YoP 与头部撞击暴露估计 (HIEE) 之间的关联，以及两种暴露估计与神经行为功能之间的关联是否不同。方法：前美式足球运动员 (ñ= 58; 年龄 = 37.9±1.5 年）在运动停止后大约 15 年完成了现场评估。评估包括神经心理学评估和头部撞击史（即HIEE）的结构化访谈。一般线性模型适合测试 YoP 和 HIEE 之间的关联，以及它们与神经行为结果的关联。结果：YoP 与 HIEE 的相关性较弱，p= .005,R2= .13。较高的 YoP 与符号数字模态测试的较差表现有关，p= .004,R2= .14，和 Trail Making Test-B，p= .001,R2= .18。HIEE 与 Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised 的延迟回忆试验的较差表现有关，p= .020,R2= .09，自我报告的认知困难（Neuro-QoL 认知功能），p= .011,R2= .10，心理困扰（Brief Symptom Inventory-18），p= .018,R2= .10，以及行为调节（成人执行功能行为评定量表），p= .017,R2= .10.结论：YoP 与 HIEE 的相关性很小，这是对整个职业生涯中持续的头部影响的综合估计。每个暴露估计和神经行为功能结果之间的关联不同。研究结果对准确量化可能与 RHI 相关的长期不良神经行为结果的风险具有重要意义。