Dangers of Mixed Martial Arts in the Development of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) was first discovered in professional boxers after they exhibited memory impairments, mood and behavioral changes after years of boxing. However, there is now a growing acceptance that CTE can develop in athletes of other sports due to the repetitive head trauma...
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doaj-5487dfdd48fe4d3582f5dfcb62507d9b2020-11-24T21:54:52ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health1660-46012019-01-0116225410.3390/ijerph16020254ijerph16020254Dangers of Mixed Martial Arts in the Development of Chronic Traumatic EncephalopathyLucas J.H. Lim0Roger C.M. Ho1Cyrus S.H. Ho2Department of Psychological Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119074, SingaporeDepartment of Psychological Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119074, SingaporeDepartment of Psychological Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119074, SingaporeChronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) was first discovered in professional boxers after they exhibited memory impairments, mood and behavioral changes after years of boxing. However, there is now a growing acceptance that CTE can develop in athletes of other sports due to the repetitive head trauma they receive. We present a case of a middle-aged male who presented with worsening memory, poor concentration, and behavioral changes for a year. On further cognitive testing, it was revealed that he had difficulties with short-term memory and processing speed as well as difficulties in organizing and multitasking. He had been practicing mixed martial arts (MMA) for 10 years, and later was an instructor of the sport. Through a detailed examination of his history, it was discovered that he sustained recurrent minor head concussions due to his line of work. To date, there has been limited large-scale research on head trauma in MMA. There is thus an urgent need for more studies in this area as CTE can be a chronic and debilitating illness with incapacitating neuropsychiatric sequelae. This case highlights the importance of public awareness of the risks of MMA and the dangers it poses to the brain, especially with more young people being attracted to this sport.http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/2/254mixed martial artschronic traumatic encephalopathyneuropsychiatric sequelae |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Lucas J.H. Lim Roger C.M. Ho Cyrus S.H. Ho |
spellingShingle |
Lucas J.H. Lim Roger C.M. Ho Cyrus S.H. Ho Dangers of Mixed Martial Arts in the Development of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health mixed martial arts chronic traumatic encephalopathy neuropsychiatric sequelae |
author_facet |
Lucas J.H. Lim Roger C.M. Ho Cyrus S.H. Ho |
author_sort |
Lucas J.H. Lim |
title |
Dangers of Mixed Martial Arts in the Development of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy |
title_short |
Dangers of Mixed Martial Arts in the Development of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy |
title_full |
Dangers of Mixed Martial Arts in the Development of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy |
title_fullStr |
Dangers of Mixed Martial Arts in the Development of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy |
title_full_unstemmed |
Dangers of Mixed Martial Arts in the Development of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy |
title_sort |
dangers of mixed martial arts in the development of chronic traumatic encephalopathy |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health |
issn |
1660-4601 |
publishDate |
2019-01-01 |
description |
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) was first discovered in professional boxers after they exhibited memory impairments, mood and behavioral changes after years of boxing. However, there is now a growing acceptance that CTE can develop in athletes of other sports due to the repetitive head trauma they receive. We present a case of a middle-aged male who presented with worsening memory, poor concentration, and behavioral changes for a year. On further cognitive testing, it was revealed that he had difficulties with short-term memory and processing speed as well as difficulties in organizing and multitasking. He had been practicing mixed martial arts (MMA) for 10 years, and later was an instructor of the sport. Through a detailed examination of his history, it was discovered that he sustained recurrent minor head concussions due to his line of work. To date, there has been limited large-scale research on head trauma in MMA. There is thus an urgent need for more studies in this area as CTE can be a chronic and debilitating illness with incapacitating neuropsychiatric sequelae. This case highlights the importance of public awareness of the risks of MMA and the dangers it poses to the brain, especially with more young people being attracted to this sport. |
topic |
mixed martial arts chronic traumatic encephalopathy neuropsychiatric sequelae |
url |
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/2/254 |
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