Cerebral and Cognitive Impact of Professional Soccer Practice

Launched by UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL, STRASBOURG, FRANCE · May 25, 2021

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is looking into how repeated minor head injuries, often experienced by professional soccer players, might affect their brain health and cognitive abilities later in life. Researchers will use advanced imaging techniques, like MRI scans, to compare the brain structures and functions of retired professional soccer players—who have had these minor injuries—against other high-level athletes who haven't experienced such injuries. The goal is to understand if these head impacts lead to changes in the brain over time.

To be eligible for the study, participants must be male professional soccer players who are around 32 years old and have played in France’s top leagues, experiencing repeated minor head injuries without any severe head trauma. There is also a control group made up of high-level athletes from other sports who have never been exposed to head injuries. If you decide to participate, you'll undergo various MRI scans to assess any changes in your brain. It's important to note that there are specific health criteria that could exclude you, such as having a history of severe head injuries, neurological disorders, or certain medical conditions.

Gender

MALE

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);