Former players in brain disease study

Researchers have begun a “breakthrough study” into the potential link between head impacts and brain disease among former professional footballers in England.

With funding of £660,000 from the Drake Foundation, academics from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Queen Mary University of London and the Institute of Occupational Medicine will study 300 former players between the ages of 50 and 85 over the next two years.

The Professional Footballers’ Association, which has been criticised by campaigners for its perceived inaction on the issue, has agreed to facilitate the project with its database of former players. Researchers will assess the playing history, work history and lifestyle of the players and also conduct tests ranging from face-to-face examinations and neurological clinical tests to the option of blood samples for biomarker measurements.

The Daily Telegraph has been campaigning for further research into the issue since 2016 amid the “frightening” anecdotal evidence of former professional players suffering with various symptoms of brain disease that would be consistent with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). A separate Drake Foundation-funded study last year also found CTE – a type of dementia caused by blows to the head – in the brains of four former footballers.

The Football Association and PFA are funding a separate study that is being led by neuropathologist Dr Willie Stewart into the prevalence of neurological disease among former footballers. Dr Stewart diagnosed CTE in former England international Jeff Astle, who died in 2002, and this research will also focus on the medical histories and cause of death of ex-players.

Prof Neil Pearce, who is leading the Drake study, said: “This breakthrough study will provide persuasive evidence of the long-term effects on cognitive function from professional football.”