An extensive test battery was used to assess cognitive and sensorimotor performances of a total of 27 female soccer players and 15 control subjects participating in non-contact sports before and after one-and-a-half years. Throughout this period, soccer players’ heading exposure was reliably determined using video analysis of 37 competitive matches.
Independent of soccer players’ individual heading exposure, we did not observe consistent negative effects of headers on the collected performance measures for the soccer players as compared to the control group. However, we found subtle negative effects of an increased number of headers on aspects of fine motor control and postural control. While these deficits do not represent clinically relevant deteriorations of brain function due to repetitive heading, our results, nevertheless, suggest that headers in soccer - next to presumed cognitive impairments - may also be associated with changes in sensorimotor function.
Kern, J., Gulde, P., & Hermsdörfer, J. (2024). A Prospective Investigation of the Effects of Soccer Heading on Cognitive and Sensorimotor Performances in Semi-Professional Female Players. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience (18). https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2024.1345868