Soccer heading may cause more damage to the brain than previously thought

Soccer heading may cause more damage to the brain than previously thought, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). Heading is a widely used technique in soccer where the players control the direction of the ball by hitting it with their head. In recent years, research has been done that suggests a link between repeated head impacts and neurodegenerative diseases, such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

"The potential effects of repeated head impacts in sport are much more extensive than previously known and affect locations similar to where we've seen CTE pathology," said study senior author Michael L. Lipton, M.D.

, Ph.D., professor of radiology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York.

"This raises concern for delayed adverse effects of head impacts." While prior studies have identified injuries to the brain's white matter in soccer players, Dr. Lipton and colleagues utilized a new approach to an advanced brain imaging technique called diffusion MRI to analyze microstructure close to the surface of the brain.

To identify how repeated head impacts affect the brain, the researchers compared brain MRIs of 352 male and female amateur soccer players , ranging in age from 18 to 53, to brain MRIs of 77 non-collision sport athletes, such as runners. Soccer players who headed the ball at high levels showed an abnormality in the brain's white matter adjacent to sulci, which are deep grooves in th.