Neuropsychological investigation of amateur boxers

Amateur boxing is faced with criticism over the potential damage the sport inflicts on those who participate. The most sensitive measure of early neurological dysfunction is neuropsychological investigation. Ten studies employing such assessments on 289 amateur boxers are reviewed. The forms of anal...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:British journal of sports medicine 1994-09, Vol.28 (3), p.187-190
Main Author: Butler, R J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Arousal - physiology
Attention - physiology
Boxing - injuries
Boxing - physiology
Boxing - psychology
Brain Injuries - physiopathology
Brain Injuries - psychology
Cognition Disorders - etiology
Head Injuries, Closed - physiopathology
Head Injuries, Closed - psychology
Humans
Learning Disorders - etiology
Longitudinal Studies
Memory Disorders - etiology
Motor Skills - physiology
Neuropsychology
Prospective Studies
Psychomotor Performance - physiology
Sports - physiology
Sports - psychology
Verbal Behavior - physiology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Amateur boxing is faced with criticism over the potential damage the sport inflicts on those who participate. The most sensitive measure of early neurological dysfunction is neuropsychological investigation. Ten studies employing such assessments on 289 amateur boxers are reviewed. The forms of analysis undertaken include controlled comparison with other sportsmen, of both active and former boxers, detailed pre- and post-bout analysis, analysis of the influence of within-boxing variables, length of career, level of competition and prospective longitudinal investigation. Amateur boxers were found to exhibit no signs of neuropsychological dysfunction in any analysis. However some trends emerged suggesting a long career in amateur boxing might reduce fine motor reactions, although such findings are within the normal range and do not represent central neuropsychological functioning. Thus amateur boxing does not appear to expose individuals to neurological dysfunction.
ISSN:0306-3674
1473-0480
DOI:10.1136/bjsm.28.3.187