Abstract
Although the scientific community has focused on the effects of concussions in contact sports, the role of subconcussive impacts, as it can occur during soccer heading, has recently gained attention, considering that it may represent an additional mechanism of cumulative brain injury. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of soccer heading on cognitive functioning in active professional soccer players. Male soccer players (n = 44), from two soccer teams that play in the Brazilian A Series Championship, and non-athletes (n = 47), comparable in age and education, were submitted to cognitive assessment, consisting of computerized and conventional neuropsychological testing (Neupsilin battery). In the computerized cognitive assessment, soccer players performed better than controls on reaction time measures in general motor coordination, executive functioning and memory tests, and on accuracy measures in executive functioning tests. There were no significant differences between groups on the Neupsilin battery. A comparison between two sub-groups of soccer players, based on the self-reported number of headings, did not show significant differences on tests performance. No significant correlations were found between an estimate of exposure to heading during professional soccer career and cognitive performance. Our data demonstrate no evidence of cognitive impairment in soccer players, compared to non-athletes, and no association between heading exposure and performance on neuropsychological tests. Longitudinal investigations, including neuroimaging assessment, will help to clarify whether soccer heading may be associated with brain injury and cognitive dysfunction.
Highlights
Soccer is the most popular sport in the world and is unique, in comparison to other sports, as it is the only sport in which participants purposely use their head to hit the ball
Since repetitive subconcussive impacts are substantial in soccer, their clinical significance as a potential cause of traumatic brain injury and a risk of later development of neurodegenerative disease may represent a public health problem
Given the role of education in improving cognitive reserve [38], it is important to investigate individuals who, besides being subjected to repetitive head impacts in their professional activity, may be more cognitively vulnerable, due to low educational level. In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to investigate the effects of soccer heading on cognitive functioning, by comparing the performance of active professional soccer players and control subjects on computerized and conventional neuropsychological tests
Summary
Soccer is the most popular sport in the world and is unique, in comparison to other sports, as it is the only sport in which participants purposely use their head to hit the ball. Heading is considered an offensive or defensive move whereby the player’s unprotected head is used to deliberately impact the ball and direct it during play. The scientific community has focused on the effects of concussion in contact sports, the possible consequences of subconcussive impacts, as it can occur during heading, have recently gained attention. The term “subconcussive” was proposed to describe the impact to the head that may cause neuronal dysfunction in the absence of concussive symptoms [2]. Since repetitive subconcussive impacts are substantial in soccer, their clinical significance as a potential cause of traumatic brain injury and a risk of later development of neurodegenerative disease may represent a public health problem
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