ArticleParkinsonism & related disorders2024
Examination of parkinsonism in former elite American football players.
Article in Parkinsonism & related disorders, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Long-term neurobehavioral and neuroimaging outcomes in athletes with prior concussion(s) and head impact exposure.The Clinical neuropsychologist · 2025Review
- Catecholamine Dysregulation in Former American Football Players: Findings From the DIAGNOSE CTE Research Project.Neurology · 2025Observational
- Sex and gender differences in the molecular etiology of Parkinson's disease: considerations for study design and data analysis.Biology of sex differences · 2025Review
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Authors and funding
21 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundFormer American football players are at risk for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) which may have parkinsonism as a clinical feature.
objectiveFormer football players were prospectively assessed for parkinsonism.
methods120 former professional football players, 58 former college football players, and 60 same-age asymptomatic men without repetitive head impacts, 45-74 years, were studied using the MDS-UPDRS to assess for parkinsonism, and the Timed Up and Go (TUG). Traumatic encephalopathy syndrome (TES), the clinical syndrome of CTE, was adjudicated and includes parkinsonism diagnosis. Fisher's Exact Test compared groups on parkinsonism due to small cell sizes; analysis of covariance or linear regressions controlling for age and body mass index were used otherwise.
resultsTwenty-two (12.4%) football players (13.3% professional, 10.3% college) met parkinsonism criteria compared with two (3.3%) in the unexposed group. Parkinsonism was higher in professional (p = 0.037) but not college players (p = 0.16). There were no differences on the MDS-UPDRS Part III total scores. Scores on the individual MDS-UPDRS items were low. TUG times were longer in former professional but not college players compared with unexposed men (13.09 versus 11.35 s, p < 0.01). There were no associations between years of football, age of first exposure, position or level of play on motor outcomes. TES status was not associated with motor outcomes.
conclusionsParkinsonism rates in this sample of football players was low and highest in the professional football players. The association between football and parkinsonism is inconclusive and depends on factors related to sample selection, comparison groups, and exposure characteristics.
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