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Footballers are more likely to suffer from brain health problems after the age of 65 than the rest of the population, reveals an English study published on Friday.
L’SCORES studyconducted by researchers at the University of East Anglia in the east of England, relies on tests conducted online to remotely assess cognitive functions and monitor brain development.
Some 145 former professional footballers took part. Fifty-five of them are over 65, compared to 27 in the test sample.
According to the study’s findings, former footballers between the ages of 40 and 50 perform better than the general population, but the trend reverses with age. “It’s when they hit 65 that things start to go downhill“, commented Dr. Michael Grey, who leads the SCORES study.
“(Footballers) over 65 have the worst performance in areas such as reaction time, executive functions (which include managing and controlling non-routine situations or performing several things at the same time, Editor’s note) or spatialization. These are clear warning signs of deteriorating brain health.“, he added.
This new study is in line with the findings of a survey conducted by the University of Glasgow which found that former footballers were three and a half times more likely than the general population to die from a neurodegenerative disease such as dementia or Parkinson’s disease.
Research of this type has raised awareness of the impact of sports practices on brain health and has led in particular to calls for better protection of footballers, who are exposed to risks of high frequency headers. concussions.
The SCORES study will continue in the years to come, and gain in scope with a larger sample. “This will give us a very clear picture of the potential damage caused by retaking a headshot“, explained Dr. Grey. She will also try to collect data on female footballers.
The family of Nobby Stiles, world football champion in 1966 with England who died in 2020 suffering from dementia, announced last month that they intended to file a complaint against the English Federation (FA), accusing him of not having sufficiently protected players against the risk of brain injury.
Other sports are wondering about its consequences in terms of health, such as boxing, which has been at the forefront for a long time, but also, more recently, rugby.