Scientists have proven that the header leads to memory impairments
Alla Salkova
Reuters Staff/ReutersКриштиану Ronaldo
The players playing with his head, slows down mental activity and half memory. Despite the fact that a day of brain function return to normal, scientists warn — if such damage will occur regularly, it may have more lasting effects.
A study published by researchers from the University of Stirling (Scotland) in the journalEBioMedicine, for the first time revealed the changes that occur in the brain of players from the daily pounding of the ball head. We are not talking about obvious damage like a concussion, and less obvious, but no less important.
The study involved 23 players-an Amateur, including 5 girls. Volunteers were recruited through an advertisement in the University. 24 hours before the start of the study, the participants were required to refrain from physical activity, alcohol consumption, caffeine and Smoking. Before the experiment they received in the lab the same Breakfast.
Using the machine for supplying the balls, the researchers simulated the strength and direction of the ball when the corner kick and from a distance of six metres has dealt each player 20 times with a ball head.
The researchers took readings with the participants before the attacks, immediately after, 24 hours, 48 hours and 14 days later. Inhibition in the brain increased after the first shot. The tests showed that the memory at the end of the experiment was deteriorated by 41-67% and returns to normal after 24 hours. In the evaluation of the results was taken into account, including an earlier concussion and fainting, receiving the participants of the study drugs or psychoactive substances, cases of epilepsy in the family.
Football is played by about 250 million people around the world. And all of them regularly hit the ball with his head. In recent years scientists studying the link between brain damage in the sport and increase the risk of dementia, more focus on football. So, “Газета.Ru” toldthat the players, actively playing head to have lesions of the white matter, similar to those that occur in patients with concussion, as well as changes in the areas of temporal and occipital part of the brain. And yet before experts from the same College found that the players often substitute a head under a ball worse than others cope with the tasks of memorizing verbal information and exercise that requires good psychomotor coordination. They observed violations in the areas of the brain responsible for planning, regulation of response to stimulus, sort visual stimuli into more and less important.
Cognitive neuroscientist Magdalena Ietswaart commented: “In light of the growing concern about the effects of brain injuries in contact sports we wanted to see whether the brain reacts to the blow to the head immediately. We found that inhibition in the brain occurs immediately after impact and this affects the memory latency. Although the changes are temporary, we believe they are important for brain health, especially if they occur again and again when you hit a ball in the head. Considering how many people around the world plays soccer, it is important that they were aware of that when impact occurs with their brain and what consequences this may have in the future.”
Dr. Angus hunter from the faculty of health Sciences and sport, adds: “for the First time the sports organization and members of the public can see concrete evidence of the risk associated with repetitive hitting of the ball head. We hope this information will be the basis for new approaches to the identification, monitoring and prevention of cumulative brain injuries in sports. We must protect the health of players and other players involved in contact sports”.
Scientists at the University of Stirling echoed by experts from Wake forest University.
Surveying 25 young players 8-13 years of age before and after the season, they found a noticeable change in gray and white substances of the brain.
“Many researchers believe that the concussion harm the brain, but what about the hundreds of blows to the head that players receive throughout the season and which do not cause concussion? We wanted to learn whether such damage is a cumulative effect and how they affect the developing brain,” says lead study author Christopher T. Whitlow. While researchers can’t exactly tell whether the data obtained about the possible serious changes in the future. They emphasize the need for further research in this area.
Scientists from Stirling University are less modest — they call their study “the first direct evidence of sharp changes in corticomotor function and changes in memory function arising from the regular pounding of the ball head”.
