Football headers have adverse effects on the brain

A new study examining the adverse effects on the brain associated with head-to-head soccer over a two-year period has been presented by the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐬 such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and neurodegenerative trauma can develop 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 such as rugby or football. Researchers at the RSNA studied structural changes in the brains of around 100 players, aged on average around 30 years. These players were classified according to 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞: low, moderate and high. They were then subjected to magnetic resonance imaging scans 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞.

These studies showed that the brains of players who had played 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝟏,𝟓𝟎𝟎 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 over a two-year period had undergone changes similar to those observed in moderate brain trauma. The doctors also observed a 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬, such as memory problems. The researchers believe that this decline in performance could be linked to an 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫.

It is essential to continue this type of study over longer periods to determine 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠-𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬.