Andy’s Quick Hits (167): Headers affect brain activity in soccer players and recovery from concussion

So, a couple of studies recently out caught my attention — both of which are close to home as a sports person, but also having suffered a number of mild and severe concussions in my sporting life, gulp!

The first was a larger scale study of professional soccer players in Norway (89 in total) and the study tracked their blood markers: specifically microRNAs, which are indicative of altered brain activity and mechanisms. They tracked these under three conditions: one in which the player had received an apparent head injury through collisions during training or in a match, two, when there had been high number of headers in training or in matches, and three, after intense exercise with no contact (which served as a control situation). They found that after headers and head injury there was an increase in specific microRNAs which are linked to pathways involved in regeneration and inflammation. This also shows that these could be used as diagnostic tools for head injury.

On the topic of concussion another worrying study just out showed that those who have experienced concussion are more likely to have cognitive impairment, or cognitive decline, or both, a year later. Yes, one year later. Worrying!