Source: eurekalert.org | Repost Duerson Fund 12/4/2023 –
New research being presented this week at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) links soccer heading – where players hit the ball with their head – to a measurable decline in the microstructure and function of the brain over a two-year period.
“There is enormous worldwide concern for brain injury in general and in the potential for soccer heading to cause long-term adverse brain effects in particular,” said senior author Michael L. Lipton, M.D., Ph.D., professor of radiology at Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and affiliate professor of biomedical engineering at Columbia University. “A large part of this concern relates to the potential for changes in young adulthood to confer risk for neurodegeneration and dementia later in life.”
While previous research has examined adverse effects on the brain related to soccer heading at a single point in time, this new study looked at brain changes over two years.
The study included 148 young adult amateur soccer players (mean age 27, 26% women). The research team developed a specialized questionnaire for players to determine how often they hit the soccer ball with their head.