ADHD May Associate With Reduced Tolerance to Acute Subconcussive Head Impacts: A Pilot Case-Control Intervention...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Sports Medicine
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Repetitive subconcussive head impacts are a concern in sports like soccer.
• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting executive functions.
• The impact of head trauma on individuals with ADHD is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if individuals with ADHD have reduced brain resiliency to subconcussive head impacts.
• To compare cognitive function and neurobiological responses to soccer heading between adults with and without ADHD.

Main Methods:

• A case-control intervention study involving 51 adults.
• Cognitive assessments using ImPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing).
• Measurement of plasma biomarkers: neurofilament-light (NF-L), Tau, glial-fibrillary-acidic protein (GFAP), and ubiquitin-C-terminal hydrolase-L1 (UCH-L1).

Main Results:

• Ten soccer headings induced transient verbal memory declines specifically in the ADHD group.
• The ADHD group showed blunted learning effects in visual memory, unlike the non-ADHD group.
• Plasma GFAP and UCH-L1 levels increased acutely in the ADHD group after heading, correlating with verbal memory decline.

Conclusions:

• ADHD may be associated with reduced brain tolerance to repetitive subconcussive head impacts.
• These findings highlight potential differential vulnerability in individuals with ADHD to head trauma.