Heading the ball is not good for the brain. Even when the heads of soccer players are exposed to collisions or blows too frequently, these slight, but recurring concussions result in attention deficit in the long term. This is suggested by a Croatian study which was presented at the 1st Congress of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) in Berlin.
Soccer players do less well in cognitive tests
Dr Boris Radic of the Medical Faculty of the University of Zagreb and his team examined 70 persons with no soccer experience, and compared them to an equally large control group of amateur soccer players who played in a veteran league. This showed the following: "Non-soccer players did significantly better in those cognitive tests which required a high reaction speed and longer attention. Soccer players also lagged behind in all other cognitive tests, with one exception: they did better when the objective was to make rapid decisions", Dr Radic reported. Furthermore, the group of researchers was able to determine changes in the forehead and temple regions of the brain (frontotemporal region) in the soccer players by means of electroencephalography (EEGs). "These deviations may be associated with the demonstrated cognitive deficit, but cannot be considered specific for this disorder", Dr Radic explained.
"Previous studies have raised the question of long term deleterious effects on cognition by head injuries - even just consequences of purposeful heading of the ball - sustained during soccer. The complexity of the problem is well explained by Kirkendall et al 2001. The present study from Croatia confirms the concerns", Prof David B. Vodušek (Ljubljana, Slovenia), Chair of the EAN Liaison Committee, commented the new data presented in Berlin. "Although many uncertainties remain, given the large number of amateur soccer players in the world, starting from childhood, simple preventive measures like education on the potential danger of ball heading and possibly using appropriate protective gear should be seriously considered. Neurology should help, with additional and more detailed studies, to further elucidate the details of the problem and help make the extremely popular soccer a safer sport in the future."