Footballers are heading for trouble

Research finds link to changes within brain

- BY STEPHEN BEECH

HEADERS during football matches may lead to alterations within the brain, new research suggests.

Scientists found that the most active players had “much greater” disruption in the brain's microstructure compared to the least active ones.

The study of amateur footballers found more frequent headers was linked to changes within the folds of the brain.

US scientists say their findings do not prove that heading the ball causes brain changes, it only shows an association.

But study author Dr Michael Lipton said: “While taking part in sports has many benefits, including possibly reducing the risk of cognitive decline, repetitive head impacts from contact sports like soccer may offset those potential benefits.

“Our study found that people who experienced more impacts from headers had more disruptions within a specific layer in the folds of the brain, and that these disruptions were also linked to poorer performance on thinking and memory tests.”

The research included 352 amateur footballers, with an average age of 26, and also 77 athletes taking part in non-collision sports with an average age of 23.