Table 2.
Summary of studies of current athletes.
| First author | Year published | Primary study site | Total N | Played before age 12 | Age (years) | Sample/outcome measures | AFE binary vs. continuous |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houck (90) | 2020 | University of Florida | 3,782 | Not reported | Median = 19, IQR = 18–20 |
NCAA Football Players (CARE)/ Neuropsychological Testing (ImPACT) |
Continuous |
| Brett (84) | 2019 | Medical College of Wisconsin | 1,802 | 1,249 | M = 18; SD = 2 |
High School and College Football Players from Project Head to Head 1 (PH2H1) and/or Project Head to Head 2 (PH2H2)/ Neuropsychological Testing, Mental Status, Mood, Physical* |
Binary |
| Caccese (87) | 2019 | University of Delaware | 4,376 | 3,022 |
M = 19; SD = 2 |
NCAA Football Players and Male Non-contact Athletes (CARE)/Neuropsychological Testing (ImPACT) | Binary |
| Caccese (123) | 2020 | University of Delaware | 889 | 694 |
M = 19; SD = 1 |
US Service Academy Male Cadets Contact and Non-contact Athletes (CARE)/Neuropsychological Testing (ImPACT) | Binary |
| Caccese (88) | 2020 | The Ohio State University College of Medicine | 1,891 Women; 4,448 Men |
Not reported | Women, M = 19; SD = 1; Men, M = 19; SD = 2 |
Current NCAA Men and Women Contact and Non-contact Athletes (CARE)/Neuropsychological Testing (ImPACT), Mood (BSI-18), Balance (BESS) | Continuous |
| Caccese (89) | 2020 | The Ohio State University College of Medicine | 294 evaluated 24–48 h following concussion; 327 evaluated at the time they were asymptomatic | Not reported | M = 19; SD = 1 |
NCAA Football Players (CARE)/Number of days until asymptomatic, Neuropsychological Testing (ImPACT), Mood (BSI-18), Balance (BESS) | Continuous |
| Caccese (124) | 2020 | The Ohio State University College of Medicine | 30 | Not reported |
M = 22; SD = 2 |
College-aged soccer players/Sensorimotor processing: visual, vestibular, and proprioceptive gains and phases | Binary |
| Asken (111) | 2020 | University of California, San Francisco | 1,570 | Not reported | Not reported for football-only sample | NCAA Football Players (CARE)/Wechsler Test of Adult Reading (WTAR) standard score | Continuous |
Full summaries of these articles are in the online supplement. NCAA, National Collegiate Athletic Association; CARE, Concussion Assessment, Research and Education Consortium; M, mean; SD, standard deviation; IQR, interquartile range; AFE, age of first exposure; ImPACT, Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing; BSI-18, Brief Symptom Inventory 18; BESS, Balance Error Scoring System. *Outcome Measures included: Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT), Trail Making Test A and B, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale−4th Edition (WAIS-IV) symbol search and coding, American College Test (ACT), Standardized Assessment of Concussion (SAC), Sport Concussion Assessment Tool-3rd Edition (SCAT3), Brief Symptom Inventory 18 (BSI-18), Brief Sensation Seeking Scale (BSSS), Disinhibition-11 (DIS-11), Balance Error Scoring System (BESS), King Devick. All studies reported all negative findings (i.e., younger AFE was not associated with worse outcomes).