Symptomatic Concussions, Depression, and Impulsivity in Fighters with a Family History of Dementia

Professional boxers and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters regularly sustain blunt force trauma to the head leading to Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and concussion; therefore, fighters are at high risk for chronic traumatic encephalopathy and neurodegenerative disease. Family history of dementia (fhD) may significantly modulate fighter response to TBI. Genetic polymorphisms associated with dementia have been reported to modulate an individual’s response to brain injury and to influence emotionality, risk‐taking, and cognition. A recent study in male college athletes found that fhD predisposed athletes to poorer recovery after concussion and to decrements in impulse control following injury. Furthermore, in a population‐based cohort study from the Netherlands, researchers found that parental history of dementia led to increased rates of depression in mid‐life. The present study aims to investigate how fhD in fighters may relate to history of symptomatic concussions, depression, and impulsivity.