Does repetitively heading a soccer ball cause long-term neurocognitive deficits?

It is estimated that throughout a soccer player's career of 300 games, they will sustain around 2,000 blows to the head from voluntarily heading a soccer ball.  Research regarding the long-term problems associate with multiple sport-related concussions is inconsistent and conlicting especially in sports like soccer where athletes sustain recurring blows to the head.  Norweigan researchers evaluated brain scans of retired professional soccer players that sustained roughly 2,000 blows to the head over their career.  Higher rates of electroencephalographic abnormalities and cerebral atrophy were found in these retired soccer players compared to normal adults.  In disagreement with these researchers, others found that other injuries, concussions sustained in falls, or collisions with other players were responsible for lower scores on cognitive tests by retired soccer players. They did not believe that repetitive blows to the head over one's career were the cause for the neurocognitive deficits found in retired soccer players.  This is an area that clearly needs to be studied further to see if repetitive heading is putting soccer players at risk for long-term neurocognitive deficits.

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