Automated Detection of Cognitive Performance and Resilience Changes in Former Professional American Football Players Following the Administration of a Hemp Extract

Amico, Francesco; Pascarella, Annalisa; Danev, Slav; Ruan, Cheng · 2022 · Crossref

DOI: 10.15540/nr.9.2.68

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Summary

This study investigates the potential of THC-free hemp extracts to mitigate cognitive slowing and improve resilience in former professional American football players, a population at high risk for long-term brain damage due to repetitive head trauma. Motivated by evidence linking contact sports to neurobiological abnormalities, including Alzheimer’s-like changes and reduced neuronal energy metabolism, the research explores whether cannabinoids like cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabigerol (CBG) can exert neuroprotective effects without the psychoactive risks associated with THC. The study also aims to validate the use of automated electroencephalogram (EEG) detection for monitoring treatment responses in this clinical population. The experimental design involved 42 male former professional American football players with a mean age of 49.6 years. Participants underwent EEG data acquisition before and immediately after the oral administration of 1 ml of a hemp extract named FOCUS, which contained 11.3 mg of CBD and 0.6 mg of CBG, along with various terpenoids. Data were collected using the FDA-cleared BrainView NeuralScan Pro workstation. Measures included resting-state EEG metrics—specifically the median theta/beta ratio and posterior peak alpha frequency (PAF)—and event-related potentials (ERPs) recorded during a visual Go/NoGo task. The ERP analysis focused on P200 and P300b latencies, alongside reaction times (RT) and RT variances. Statistical analyses employed nonparametric Wilcoxon signed-rank tests to assess within-group differences and Pearson correlations to examine relationships between EEG/ERP measures and behavioral performance. The results indicated significant improvements in several cognitive and neural markers following treatment. The median theta/beta ratio decreased significantly (p < .01), suggesting enhanced attention and emotional regulation. Additionally, the onset latencies for both P200 (p < .01) and P300b (p < .05) were reduced, indicating faster cortical processing speeds. While average reaction times did not change significantly, the variance in reaction times decreased significantly (p < .05), implying more consistent performance. Notably, a positive correlation between P300b latencies and reaction times emerged only after treatment, suggesting a restored link between neural processing and behavioral output. No significant changes were observed in the posterior peak alpha frequency. The findings suggest that THC-free hemp extracts may offer beneficial effects on cognitive performance and emotion regulation in athletes with a history of head injury. The study supports the hypothesis that modulating the endocannabinoid system can ameliorate traumatic brain injury pathology. Furthermore, the research demonstrates the utility of automated EEG technology in detecting subtle, subclinical functional anomalies and evaluating pharmacological interventions. These results imply that such non-invasive biomarkers could assist clinicians in making informed decisions regarding the management of sport-related brain injuries and monitoring treatment efficacy.

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• cognitive impairment