Heading a football ‘has an instant neurological impact’

A new study has offered evidence that heading a football can lead to small but significant changes in the brain that could become more meaningful over time.

The University of Stirling research evaluated a group of football players during a routine practice session in which they headed a ball 20 times. Before and after the heading sessions, scientists tested their brain function and memory.

Brain inhibitions were detected after just a single session of heading, with memory test performance reduced by between 41 and 67 percent, although these effects normalised within 24 hours.

These findings add to a growing body of evidence linking brain injuries in sport with an increased risk of dementia, suggesting that football heading might potentially lead to long-term consequences for brain health.

Of particular note is the fact that this is the first study to detect direct changes in the brain relating to everyday head impacts, as opposed to clinical brain injuries such as concussion.

Study leader Dr Magdalena Ietswaart, a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of Stirling, said: "With large numbers of people around the world participating in this sport, it is important that they are aware of what is happening inside the brain and the lasting effect this may have."

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