Long-term effects of boxing and judo-choking techniques on brain function

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Sports Medicine
• Radiology

Background:

• Repetitive head trauma in combat sports like boxing may lead to long-term neurological consequences.
• Understanding the impact of professional boxing on brain function is critical for athlete safety and management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and electroencephalography (EEG) in professional boxers, amateur boxers, and judoka.
• To compare neurophysiological measures between athletes and healthy controls to identify sport-specific brain alterations.

Main Methods:

• Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) measured using 133-xenon inhalation in 44 boxers (24 amateur, 20 professional) and 10 judoka.
• Electroencephalography (EEG) performed on 18 boxers and all 10 judoka.
• Comparison of rCBF and EEG data with age- and sex-matched healthy controls.

Main Results:

• Professional boxers showed significantly reduced whole-brain rCBF, particularly in frontocentral regions (p<.001).
• Judoka and amateur boxers did not differ significantly from controls in mean rCBF, though some amateurs had lower global CBF (gCBF).
• Abnormal EEG findings were present in 3 professional boxers, while judoka and amateur boxers had normal EEGs.

Conclusions:

• Professional boxing is associated with significant brain functional impairment, unlike judo.
• Neurophysiological assessments like rCBF and EEG are vital for detecting brain impairment in athletes participating in high-impact sports.
• The number of matches did not correlate with rCBF values, highlighting the complexity of assessing cumulative head trauma effects.