Clinical Research Directory

A Prospective Study of Cognitive Changes in Retired and Late-Career Professional Soccer Players

Repeated head impacts and concussions may be associated with cognitive difficulties and neurodegenerative changes in athletes. Although this association has been studied primarily in contact sports such as boxing and American football, professional football (soccer) players may also be exposed to repetitive head impacts through heading the ball and sustaining concussions. This prospective study aims to evaluate the cognitive impact of repeated concussions in male and female outfield football players, including late-career and retired professional players. Cognitive function will be assessed using neuropsychological tests and questionnaires evaluating attention, concentration, executive functioning, subjective memory complaints, emotion regulation, anxiety, and depression. Multimodal brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) will also be performed to characterize brain imaging findings potentially associated with cumulative exposure to repetitive head impacts. The findings may contribute to a better understanding of potential cognitive and neuroimaging abnormalities in football players and inform future long-term monitoring and preventive strategies.

The DIAGNOSE CTE Research Project-II

Each year, millions of people are exposed to repetitive head impacts (RHI) through contact sports. RHI can result in concussions and asymptomatic non-concussions to confer risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias (ADRD) including chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Presently, a diagnosis of CTE can only be rendered at autopsy and it has been neuropathological diagnosed in several hundreds of American football players particularly those who played at elite levels (college and professional). The ability to make an accurate diagnosis of CTE is needed to facilitate research on risk factors, mechanisms, prevention, and treatment. In 2015, the investigators were awarded a NINDS funded 7-year U01 known as the DIAGNOSE CTE Research Project (NCT02798185) designed to develop biomarkers, characterize the clinical presentation, and examine genetic and RHI risk factors for CTE. This current 5-year NIH funded multicenter study DIAGNOSE CTE Research Project-II will build on and extend those findings.