We all know the stereotype that sportsmen are strong but silly, but it seems that some types of sport can actually cause cognitive decline.
A new test shows that lots of soccer players tend to have decreased cognitive abilities later in life.
Let's see how it works.
How it was discovered
New research presented at a medical meeting suggests that heading a soccer ball can lead to brain changes over time.
The study followed 148 young adult amateur soccer players for two years.
Researchers created a questionnaire to determine how often the players headed the ball.
Results showed that players with high levels of heading had changes in brain structure and a decline in verbal learning performance.
The analysis accounted for factors like age, sex, education, and concussion history.
Another study examined the association between heading and learning performance in 353 amateur soccer players over 12 months.
It revealed that constant heading was linked to a blunting of the interface between gray and white matter in the brain.
Why it's important to know
This new approach could help assess the extent of injury from repetitive heading, concussion, and traumatic brain injury more accurately.
The findings contribute to the ongoing debate about the risks associated with soccer heading.
