Age of First Exposure to Contact Sports and Neurocognitive Performance in U.S. Service Academy Athletes

Abstract Purpose To examine the association between estimated age of first exposure (eAFE) to contact sports and neurocognitive performance and symptom ratings in collegiate U.S. Military Service Academy athletes. We hypothesized that contact-sports participation before the age of 12 would not be associated with worse neuropsychological test performance or greater symptom reporting. Methods Male cadets (N=891) who participated in contact sports [i.e., in lacrosse (n=211), wrestling (n=170), ice hockey (n=81), soccer (n=119), rugby (n=10)], or non-contact sports (n=298), completed the Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) test before the season. Generalized linear modeling was used to predict each cognitive domain score and the symptom severity score. Predictor variables were entered in the following order: group (contact vs. non-contact), eAFE (eAFE