Longitudinal changes in fighters’ cognitive performance and brain structural (cortical thickness) and functional (seeded functional connectivity) measures following their transitions to inactive fighting status were investigated and compared with fighters who remain active. A linear mixed effect model was applied for each measure. When fighters transitioned to inactive status, improvements in cognitive performances, structural thickness measures and related functional connectivity measures are evident. In contrast, in fighters who continue to compete in professional matches, neuropsychological performances and structural and functional brain measures are observed to remain largely stable or reflect subtle declines across time points.
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