Effects of youth tackle football on brain structure and function
A study in JAMA Network Open explored the brain structure and neurophysiological characteristics of adolescent football players.
The neurological impact of adolescent football players subjected to head traumas is unclear. While football might promote teamwork, repeated subconcussive blows can cause neurological problems, particularly in young athletes.
Studies have reported that collision sports athletes have a lower cortical thickness, but current high school and college football players have higher brain volume reduction and cortical thinning in frontotemporal areas. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS-fMRI) functional connectivity indicated neurophysiological alterations caused by repeated head trauma.
In the study, researchers used sophisticated neuroimaging techniques to assess brain anatomy and neurophysiology between high school football players and non-contact sports participants.
The team matched adolescent football athletes and controls engaging in non-contact sports such as tennis, swimming, and cross country from five high school sports programs based on age, school, and gender (male). They conducted neuroimaging assessments between May and July 2021 and the following year and analyzed data between February and November 2023.
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