Recent media reports on a large concussion study, “Sports-related concussion not associated with long-term cognitive or behavioral deficits: the PROTECT-TBI study,” have been criticised for misrepresenting the findings.

Published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry in September 2024, the study analysed data from over 15,000 UK participants aged 50-90.

The key finding that was underreported is that participants with sports-related concussions performed better cognitively in some areas compared to those without concussions.

Clinton is joined by Dr. Adrian Cohen, Founder of Headsafe, who warns that the media coverage wrongly suggests a concussion may protect against long-term cognitive decline, like Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).

The actual takeaway is that people who engage in sports tend to have better brain health, regardless of whether they have experienced a concussion.

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