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Soccer Players' Brains Show Differences, High Anxiety
12 Jul
Summary
- Former players exhibit brain structure differences and mental health issues.
- No cognitive decline observed, but scans show reduced grey matter.
- Study tracks mid-life athletes for early signs of neurological change.
Retired professional soccer players, aged 30-60, have shown structural brain differences and elevated rates of anxiety and depression, according to a study from Imperial College London. Researchers compared 142 former players to 56 healthy individuals without contact sport experience.
Despite scoring similarly on memory and thinking tests, ex-players reported much higher clinical depression (31% vs. 9%) and anxiety (42% vs. 25%). MRI scans of players revealed reduced grey matter volume in brain regions affecting memory and emotion, though only a small percentage displayed severe shrinkage.
The study, which is part of a larger effort to link repetitive head impacts to dementia risk, did not prove a direct link to Alzheimer's disease. This research follows similar findings in retired rugby players from 2025 and aims for long-term monitoring of athletes to track neurological changes years before dementia typically appears.
