A - 70 Age of First Exposure to Contact Sports and Later-in-Life Brain Health in Community-Dwelling Older Men

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Abstract Objectives To evaluate whether earlier age of first exposure (AFE) to contact sports is associated with worse long-term brain health outcomes in a cohort of community-dwelling older men. Methods Older men with prior history of contact sport participation completed a survey assessing brain health outcomes in various areas, including well-validated measures of depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7), cognitive difficulties (bc-CCI), and neurobehavioral symptoms (NSI). Endorsements of general health problems (e.g., sleep, pain, headaches), motor symptoms (dysarthria, balance, falls, tremor), and psychiatric history were also collected. The cohort was dichotomized by AFE (< 12 years vs. ≥12 years). AFE groups were compared using t-tests, chi-squared tests, and multivariable linear regressions. Regression covariates included age, number of prior concussions, and total years of contact sport. Results Of 69 men aged 70.5 ± 8.0 years, approximately one-third of the sample (34.8%) reported exposure to contact sports before the age of 12. That group had more years of contact sports (10.8 ± 9.2 years) compared to those with AFE ≥12 years (5.6 ± 4.5 years; p = 0.02). No differences were found after univariate testing between the AFE groups on all brain health outcomes, including psychiatric, cognitive, and neurobehavioral symptoms (p-values >0.05). Multivariable linear models showed that AFE was not a predictor of depression (PHQ-9) or anxiety (GAD-7). Those in the AFE < 12 group had fewer cognitive difficulties on the bc-CCI (β = 0.29, p = 0.03) and fewer neurobehavioral symptoms on the NSI (β = 0.29, p = 0.03). Conclusions In a cohort of community-dwelling older men, those with AFE < 12 to contact sports did not have worse long-term brain health outcomes compared to those with AFE ≥12.

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