Health & Medicine
Tackle Football Dangerous For Cognitive Abilities In Children
Kathleen Lees
First Posted: Jan 29, 2015 01:55 PM EST
Tackle football can be dangerous, particularly for growing bodies and brains. New findings published in the journal Neurology show that this kind of sport as a child can result in memory and cognition problems later in life.
For the study, researchers examined 42 NFL players who were an average age of 52. All participants reported experiencing memory and thinking problems for at least six months, while only half of the participants were involved in tackle football before the age of 12.
Results showed that those who started playing football before age 12 performed significantly worse on memory and thinking tests. Further analysis also showed the difference in level of current functioning on several measures.
"Our study suggests that there may be a critical window of brain development during which repeated head impacts can lead to thinking and memory difficulties later in life," study author Robert Stern, PhD, of Boston University School of Medicine, said in a news release. "If larger studies confirm this association, there may be a need to consider safety changes in youth sports."
"Football has the highest injury rate among team sports," Dr. Christopher M. Filley, MD, of the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora, wrote in an accompanying editorial. "Given that 70 percent of all football players in the United States are under the age of 14, and every child ages nine to 12 can be exposed to 240 head impacts during a single football season, a better understanding of how these impacts may affect children's brains is urgently needed."
However, researchers concluded that the latest findings may might not apply to people in the general public. More research will be needed to determine formal recommendations.
For more great nature science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
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First Posted: Jan 29, 2015 01:55 PM EST
Tackle football can be dangerous, particularly for growing bodies and brains. New findings published in the journal Neurology show that this kind of sport as a child can result in memory and cognition problems later in life.
For the study, researchers examined 42 NFL players who were an average age of 52. All participants reported experiencing memory and thinking problems for at least six months, while only half of the participants were involved in tackle football before the age of 12.
Results showed that those who started playing football before age 12 performed significantly worse on memory and thinking tests. Further analysis also showed the difference in level of current functioning on several measures.
"Our study suggests that there may be a critical window of brain development during which repeated head impacts can lead to thinking and memory difficulties later in life," study author Robert Stern, PhD, of Boston University School of Medicine, said in a news release. "If larger studies confirm this association, there may be a need to consider safety changes in youth sports."
"Football has the highest injury rate among team sports," Dr. Christopher M. Filley, MD, of the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora, wrote in an accompanying editorial. "Given that 70 percent of all football players in the United States are under the age of 14, and every child ages nine to 12 can be exposed to 240 head impacts during a single football season, a better understanding of how these impacts may affect children's brains is urgently needed."
However, researchers concluded that the latest findings may might not apply to people in the general public. More research will be needed to determine formal recommendations.
For more great nature science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone