Adolescent football players had impairments in oculomotor function, blood biomarkers
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Key takeaways:
- Youth football players showed impairments in oculomotor function elevated blood biomarkers consistent with head trauma.
- No differences in biomarker elevations were found between players of different positions.
According to published results, adolescent football players may exhibit impairments in oculomotor functions and several blood biomarkers associated with subconcussive head impacts.
To assess the consequences of repetitive subconcussive head impacts on youth athletes, researchers performed a multisite, prospective cohort study of 93 male football players (mean age of 15.8 years) during the 2021 high school football season. According to the study, outcome measures included the near point of convergence (NPC) oculomotor test and brain-injury blood biomarkers, such as glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase-L1 (UCH-L1) and neurofilament light (NF-L). Players were equipped with instrumented mouthguards to assess head impact exposure and brain tissue strain.
Overall, the 93 athletes yielded 9,498 head impacts during the 2021 season. Researchers found time-course elevations in the NPC oculomotor test, as well as blood biomarker GFAP, UCH-L1 and NF-L levels. The NPC oculomotor test elevated during the course of the season and peaked during the post season, according to the study. GFAP and UCH-L1 biomarkers also increased during the season. NF-L levels were elevated after training camp and at the midseason timepoint but normalized by the end of the season.
Researchers found no differences in results according to position played, as players of all positions showed similar biomarker elevations. They noted UCH-L1 changes were associated with brain tissue strain and head impact kinematics.
“The study data suggest that adolescent football players exhibited impairments in oculomotor function and elevations in blood biomarker levels associated with astrocyte activation and neuronal injury throughout a season,” the researchers wrote in the study.
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