Overview

• The observational study analyzed MRI data and five-year clinical follow-up from 100 professional fighters with at least 10 pro fights, finding that 20% developed thinking or memory problems.
• Athletes were grouped into low, moderate or high disadvantage based on the Area Deprivation Index, and those from high-disadvantage neighborhoods had a 354 mm³ smaller thalamus, a 2,478 mm³ smaller cerebellar cortex and lower hippocampal volumes versus peers from low-disadvantage areas.
• After adjusting for elevated levels of a central nervous system damage protein, thalamic volumes were about 60% lower in fighters from high-disadvantage backgrounds compared to those from low-disadvantage neighborhoods.
• Researchers emphasize the association does not imply causation and note limitations including the sample’s restriction to active or recently retired athletes.
• Authors interpret that socioeconomic stressors related to income, education and housing may compound risks of repetitive head trauma, and they call for further research to guide equitable brain-health measures for under-resourced fighters.