INTRODUCTION: Occurrence of and outcomes following a concussion are probably affected by the interaction of multiple genes in a polygenic manner. This study investigated whether suspected concussion-associated polygenic profiles of elite rugby athletes (RA) with a history of previous concussion differed from RA with no history of previous concussion. We hypothesised that concussion-associated risk genotypes would be underrepresented in RA with no history of concussion compared to RA with a history of previous concussion. METHODS: Participants were from the RugbyGene project, comprising elite male rugby athletes (141 White males; mean (standard deviation) height 1.86 (0.07) m, mass 102 (12) kg, age 26 (5) yr) competing at an elite level in rugby union (n = 121) and league (n = 20) in the UK, Ireland, Italy and South Africa. Concussion history was collected using a self-reported concussion history questionnaire. PCR of genomic DNA was used to determine genotypes using TaqMan probes, and total genotype scores (TGS) were calculated, then groups were compared using *2 and odds ratio (OR) statistics. In addition, multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) was used to identify genetic interactions. RESULTS: Seventy-six percent of rugby athletes reported a history of sustaining at least one concussion and 52% of rugby athletes reported sustaining multiple (*2) concussions from rugby. For APOE rs405509, the GG genotype was more common in RA with a history of at least one concussion compared to RA with no history of concussion (26.7% vs 12.5%, P * 0.001, OR = 2.10, 95% CI = 0.58-7.5). The TT genotype of APOE rs405509 was more common (30.8% vs. 26.0% P = 0.036), in rugby athletes with a concussion recovery duration of >10 days (30.8% vs. 26.0%, P = 0.03, OR * 4.14, 95% CI = 1.14-15.06). For COMT rs4680, the AA genotype was more common in RA with history of at least one concussion compared to RA with no history of concussion (37.5% vs 28.3 % OR * 2.10 P * 0.001, 95% CI = 0.84-10.04). However, TGS did not differ between RA with no previous history of concussion and RA with a previous history of concussion (p * 0.018). CONCLUSION: These findings presented support the growing evidence that incidence and recovery from concussion could be influenced by an athlete`s genetic predisposition. Such knowledge could be used, in future and when additional relevant variants have been identified, to inform individualised management strategies for athletes in possession of risk genotypes.
© Copyright 2024 29th Annual Congress of the European College of Sport Science, 2-5 July 2024, Book of Abstracts. Veröffentlicht von European College of Sport Science. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.