Executive Function (Anticipation) Differences Between Soccer Players with and Without a History of Traumatic Brain Injury 4360

The present study sought to understand traumatic brain injuries (TBI) impact on executive function (EF) in terms of anticipation amongst individuals with a background in soccer; along with other contributing factors of EF-curtailments that inhibit athletes. Within this study 57-participants, with a background in soccer (high school, collegiate, and semi-professional), completed five EF-tasks: working memory, cognitive flexibility, attentional control, and anticipation; pattern-detection and athletic-cues (temporal occlusion). The results of this study concluded that when TBI-history, gender, and soccer athletic-level are factors, athletes with a soccer level of collegiate and semi-professional had decrements related to pattern-detection-anticipation; meaning athletes at higher levels had lower average scores on the Brixton Spatial Anticipation Test (BSAT). Additionally, female athletes showed more anticipation-decrements related to athletic-cues, especially those that are reliant on the initiation of judgment. Overall undiagnosed-TBIs and limited understanding on how to approach rehabilitation to mitigate EF-decrements, continue to impede individual autonomy amongst athletes.