An examination of the cumulative effects of heading on neurocognitive functioning in male collegiate soccer athletes
Date
2011
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Soccer is the most popular team sport in the world. Heading a soccer ball is an inherent and strategic part of the sport, and it has the potential to result in concussion if performed incorrectly. It is important to determine if each episode of heading results in minor insults to the brain and if there are cumulative effects resulting in impaired neurocognitive functioning. PURPOSE: This study examined the relationship between heading exposure, field position, and scores of neuropsychological test performance over the course of a collegiate playing career. METHODS: The database consists of collegiate male soccer athletes who have completed a pre-participation Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) battery. The number of headers and header type (pass, shot, clear, unintentional deflection) were tracked for each player over the course of the playing career. At the conclusion of each season, the ImPACT battery was completed again. RESULTS: None of the correlation coefficients calculated between the three predictors of heading and the ImPACT composite scores following the third season of soccer were statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: No relationship exists between purposeful heading and measures of neuropsychological test performance in male collegiate soccer players. Additionally, there was no effect of field position on the level of cognitive functioning of the soccer athletes.