Eye Movements Detect Differential Change after Participation in Male Collegiate Collision versus Non-Collision Sports

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Sports Medicine
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Neuroimaging reveals brain alterations in collision sport athletes post-season.
• Existing tools struggle to detect behavioral/cognitive changes linked to collision sports participation.
• Subtle changes in cognitive and sensorimotor processing are critical to monitor.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate eye-movement testing for detecting cognitive and sensorimotor changes in collegiate athletes after a season of collision sports.
• To compare the sensitivity of eye-movement testing versus ImPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Test) in detecting these changes.
• To investigate the impact of variable subconcussive exposure on cognitive and sensorimotor functions.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal study design comparing pre- and post-season assessments.
• Inclusion of male collegiate athletes in collision sports (high-dose hockey, low-dose rugby) and non-collision sports.
• Utilized eye-movement testing (measuring antisaccade and memory-guided saccade latencies and accuracy) and ImPACT cognitive testing.

Main Results:

• Non-collision athletes showed improved reaction times and spatial accuracy.
• Collision sport athletes exhibited stable or slower reaction times and reduced spatial accuracy on eye-movement tasks.
• No significant changes were detected using ImPACT testing across groups.

Conclusions:

• Eye-movement testing demonstrates potential as a sensitive tool for detecting subtle changes in attentional control and working memory.
• These changes are associated with participation in sports involving subconcussive impacts.
• Eye-movement metrics may offer a more responsive indicator of neurophysiological changes than traditional cognitive assessments.