Citation

Shuttleworth-Edwards AB, Smith I, Radloff SE. J. Clin. Exp. Neuropsychol. 2008; 30(8): 870-884.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/13803390701846914

PMID

18608657

Abstract

University rugby players were compared with IQ-equivalent noncontact sports controls on memory and attentional tasks at the pre- and postseason intervals. Results revealed significant lowering for rugby players relative to controls at the postseason interval for attentional tasks with a speeded visuomotor component (ImPACT Visual Motor Speed; Trail Making Test, TMT, A and B). There was a practice effect for controls only between the pre- and postseason intervals for attentional tasks that commonly reveal improvements after a long retest interval (TMT A and B; Digits Backwards). Medium to large effect sizes implicate clinically relevant cognitive vulnerability for university-level rugby players in association with years of exposure to repetitive concussive injury.

Language: en