Beware of blows to the head, even on a small scale! They would cause concussions which would increase the risk of cognitive decline, according to the results of a study published in the medical journal EbioMedicine.
Researchers from the Universities of Stirling, Glasgow and Northumbria in the United Kingdom conducted a study with 19 footballers to whom they inflicted a succession of 20 “heads”.
Impacts on the head cause memory impairment
These 19 participants, including 5 women, on average 22 years old, received a football at 39 km / hour on their heads from a device placed at a distance of 6 meters. That, 20 times in a row.
After this athletic challenge, the volunteers responded to memory and cognitive performance tests. They also participated in a transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) exam to determine the signs of a concussion and the level of communication of the brain’s nerve pathways with the muscles of the body.
Scientists observed that after the ball hit the head, the body’s response to the brain’s information was increased by about five milliseconds, and footballers performed worse on memory tests. But, fortunately, these effects are short-lived, they disappear after 24 hours.
Even if carried out on a small sample, the study once again reveals that a shock to the head is not trivial. However, scientists point out that football is not the most violent sport and that physical activity is necessary for our good health.
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