receive blows to the head and one way to win a competition is causing a concussion (winning by knockout). Years of boxing practice could impair cognitive functions. Aim of this study was to investigate cognitive functions in boxers. Methods: The study population was composed of male subjects, with no previous history of head concussions (except from boxing): a) 33 boxers at their first medical examination for debuting in amateur boxing, never engaged in competitive boxing nor other ring sports before; b) 27 professional boxers, renewing their license. Subjects were requested: a) to fulfill a questionnaire collecting demographic data, level of education, occupational status, boxing record (for professionals) and number of head concussions during boxing practice; b) to undergo a computerized neuropsychological (NP) test (CogSport). Results: Professionals were signifi cantly (p<0.0001) older (29.4 +/-4.19 years) and started boxing training at a signifi cantly younger age (14.5 +/- 3.94 vs 20.3 +/- 4.77 years, p<0.0001) than debutants (24.1 +/- 5.13 years). Debutants showed a signifi cant shorter simple reaction time (RT) than professionals, both at the beginning (2.44+/- 0.070 vs 2.49 +/- 0.075 ms, p=0.005) and the end (2.47 +/- 0.069 vs 2.51+/- 0.079 ms, p=0.028) of the NP-test. Complex RTs didn't differ between groups. For professionals, a positive correlation was found between simple RT at the beginning of the NP-test and the total number of disputed (r=0.386, p=0.043) and won (r=0.400, p=0.035) bouts. A negative correlation (r=-0.468, p=0.012) was found between simple RT at the end of the NP-test and the total number of bouts lost due to head blows. Conclusions: Professional boxers show a longer simple RT in respect to debuting amateur boxers, with no difference regarding more complex cognitive tasks. A possible explanation may be found in a kind of adaptation of skilled boxers to better (and longer) evaluate external stimuli before giving a simple motor response.
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