ACUTE IMPACT OF MIXED MARTIAL ART BOUTS ON COGNITIVE FUNCTION: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF REGULAR AND OCCASIONAL SPARRING PRACTITIONERS

RESUMO

José Raimundo Fernandes, Michele de Andrade Brito, Aleksandro Ferreira Gonçalves, Diego Valenzuela Pérez, Esteban Aedo-Muñoz, Bianca

The risk of concussion is inherent to the practice of mixed martial arts; therefore, establishing strategies that can protect practitioners is essential to avoid problems associated with brain health. The study compared acute effects on cognition after combat simulation in two groups of MMA practitioners: a) those who spar regularly and b) those who do not. Assessments of executive functions (Mental Processing Speed-MPS; Inhibitory Control-IC; Cognitive Flexibility-CF) and memory (direct-DM and indirect-IM) were performed before and after combat simulation. The results indicated that the SG participants suffered significantly more blows to the head per training (14.0±2.8 vs. 2.4±1.9; p≤0.001). There was a significant effect for MPS the group (p≤0.001) and in time (p=0.006), with the SG presenting higher means in the Pre and Post moments (2.0±1.2 sec. and 1.7±1.5 sec.; p=0.037). There were no significant effects for DM (p>0.05), while IM presented an isolated group effect, with lower means for the SG [-1.3 sec. (-2.2; -0.4); p=0.004]. It is concluded that MMA training which includes sparring twice a week results in cognitive impairments compared to those that do not, possibly due to the frequency of blows to the head. Future studies could conduct chronic follow-ups of athletes to examine potential compromises in the mental and physical health of fighters. Additionally, it would be beneficial to include a larger sample of female participants to provide a more comprehensive analysis