Impact of soccer practice on brain health and cognition

Cerebral and Cognitive Modifications in Retired Professional Soccer Players as Compared to Non Exposed to Repeated Cranial Impacts Sportsmen : Transverse Analytic Study

This study looks at how repeated minor head injuries from playing soccer affect the brain and thinking skills of professional players as they near retirement, comparing them to other athletes who haven't had similar injuries.

Quick facts

• Phase: NA
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 80 (estimated)
• Ages: 32 Years to 55 Years
• Sex: Male
• Sponsor: University Hospital, Strasbourg, France (other)
• Locations: 1 site (Strasbourg)
• Trial ID: NCT04903015 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This study evaluates the long-term effects of repeated minor head injuries on the brain and cognitive abilities of professional soccer players nearing the end of their careers. Using advanced MRI techniques, it aims to identify microstructural changes and cognitive impairments associated with traumatic chronic encephalopathy. The study compares these players to high-level athletes who have not experienced similar head trauma, focusing on various MRI metrics such as diffusion tensor imaging and cerebral volumetry. The goal is to better understand the neurological consequences of soccer practice over time.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal candidates include professional soccer players aged 32 and older who have experienced repeated mild head injuries and are either at the end of their careers or retired for about 10 years.

Not a fit: Patients who have a history of severe head injuries or cerebral lesions will not benefit from this study.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this study could provide insights into the cognitive risks associated with professional soccer and inform preventive measures for athletes.

How similar studies have performed: Other studies have indicated potential cognitive risks associated with contact sports, suggesting that this approach may yield valuable insights.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

Exposed high-level athletes: professional soccer players at the end of their career (32- years old) playing in France Ligue 1 or 2 exposed to repeated mild head injuries with no history of severe head injury or cerebral lesion;

-High-level athletes not exposed to repeated mild head injuries: control group paired for age with professional soccer players, who have never regularly participated in sports exposing them to head injuries (notably rugby, basketball, handball, American football, hockey, combat sports, etc.) and who have no history of head injury, even mild. Professional tennis players or former players will be preferentially recruited.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Refusal to participate in the study;
* refusal to be informed of abnormalities on MRI
* Incapacity to give informed consent or under a legal protection order;
* History of cerebral concussion including the presence after head shock of one or more of the following signs or symptoms: a period of confusion or disorientation, a period of loss of consciousness of 30 minutes or less, post-traumatic amnesia not exceeding 24 hours
* History of severe head/brain injury;
* History of neurological or psychiatric disorder;
* Known cerebral abnormality diagnosed by an imaging exam (CT or MRI);
* History or regular or occasional consumption of drugs, unweaned active smoking or weaned for less than 1 year, excessive consumption of alcohol (\> 20 g alcohol per day, evaluated with the formula "degree of alcohol × volume in cl × 8/1000"), weaned or not.
* Usage of medication targeting the central nervous system in the 2 weeks preceding inclusion in the study;
* Prior history of severe hypertension, diabetes, chronic heart disease, progressive or disabling disease;
* Contraindication to MRI (claustrophobia, implanted material not compatible with MRI, refusal to be informed of abnormality discovered on MRI);

Where this trial is running

Strasbourg

• Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg — Strasbourg, France (RECRUITING)

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Stéphane KREMER, MD — Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg
• Study coordinator: Stéphane KREMER, MD

Conditions: Traumatic Chronic Encephalopathy, traumatic chronic encephalopathy, soccer, MRI, neuropsychology, head traumatism