Head trauma link to brain effect

New research has found a link between head trauma and reduced cognitive performance more than 15 years later, sparking fresh calls for sporting governing bodies to take immediate precautionary action.

The study, led by University College London, involved brain scans and cognitive tests of more than 500 people who have been tracked since 1946. They were asked if they had been knocked unconscious in their 50s and took part in cognitive tests.

Researchers found that 70-yearolds who had experienced a serious head injury more than 15 years earlier performed slightly worse than expected on cognitive tests for attention and quick thinking. They also had smaller brain volumes.

“It looks like head injuries can make our brains more vulnerable to the normal effects of ageing,” said lead author Dr Sarah-naomi James.

Lauren Pulling, chief executive of The Drake Foundation, which helped fund the study, said the research built on an increasing body of evidence in contact sports. Former professional footballers are three and a half times more likely to die of neurodegenerative diseases.

“These new findings add to the growing evidence base showing that head impacts can have tangible, long-term effects on the brain,” she said. “It is essential that sport’s governing bodies take note and use a common-sense approach to universally minimise players’ risk of head injury, right through from grass roots to elite levels.”