Pillay, LervasenJanse van Rensburg, Dina ChristinaDen Hollander, SteveRamkilawon, Gopika DeviKerkhoffs, Gino M.M.J.Gouttebarge, Vincent2024-11-082024-11-082024-06Pillay, L.; Janse van Rensburg, D.C.; den Hollander, S.; Ramkilawon, G.; Kerkhoffs, G.; Gouttebarge, V. Neurocognitive Function Domains Are Not Affected in Active Professional Male Footballers, but Attention Deficits and Impairments Are Associated with Concussion. Sports 2024, 12, 170. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports12060170.2075-4663 (online)10.3390/sports12060170http://hdl.handle.net/2263/98990DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT : All data analyses of data collected are presented in the manuscript. Raw data can be requested from the corresponding author and will be shared at reasonable request.OBJECTIVE : To determine the neurocognitive function of active professional male footballers, determine whether deficits/impairments exist, and investigate the association between previous concussion(s) and neurocognitive function. METHODS : An observational cross-sectional study conducted via electronic questionnaires. The CNS Vital Signs online testing system was used to evaluate neurocognitive function. RESULTS : Of the 101 participants, 91 completed the neurocognitive function testing. Neurocognitive function domain deficits or impairments were unlikely in 54.5–89.1%, slight in 5.9–21.8%, moderate in 1.0–9.9%, and likely in 4.0–14.9% of participants. A history of zero concussions found a significant association between the neurocognitive index (Odds Ratio [OR] 0.6; 95% CI 0.2–0.4) and complex attention domain (OR 0.3; 95% CI 0.1–0.9), with 40% and 70% less odds, respectively, of deficit/impairment. Among the 54.5% who reported any number of concussions, there were increased odds of neurocognitive domain deficits/impairments for complex attention (CA) [3.4 times more] and simple attention (SA) [3.1 times more]. CONCLUSION : In the active professional male footballer, most neurocognitive functions do not have significant deficits/impairments. The odds of neurocognitive function deficit/impairment were significantly increased threefold for CA and SA in those who reported a history of any concussion(s).en© 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).Executive functioningReaction timeCognitive flexibilityPsychomotor speedComplex attentionProcessing speedSportFootball playersSDG-03: Good health and well-beingArticle