Football Players: Brain Lesions & Vascular Changes
- Former football players may exhibit more signs of white matter hyperintensities, a type of brain white matter injury, than individuals who did not play football, according to research...
- Alosco, PhD, of Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, said that white matter hyperintensities, easily visible on MRI scans, could serve as a tool to investigate...
- The study,funded by the National Institutes of Health and National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke,compared 120 former professional and 60 former college football players,averaging 57 years old,with...
Brain lesions and vascular changes in former football players are under the microscope in a new study. Researchers reveal a concerning link: individuals with a history of playing football may show more brain white matter damage—a potential contributor to stroke risk and dementia markers. This study indicates that repetitive head impacts, directly tied to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), play a critical role in long-term brain health.The findings underscore the need for vigilance in monitoring football players’ cognitive well-being. With insights from News Directory 3, learn how white matter hyperintensities correlate with vascular risk factors and reduced white matter integrity. Discover what’s next as experts explore modifying those risk factors to mitigate potential cognitive problems.
Study: Football Head Impacts Play a Role in Brain White Matter Damage
Updated June 16, 2025
Former football players may exhibit more signs of white matter hyperintensities, a type of brain white matter injury, than individuals who did not play football, according to research published in Neurology. The study suggests a potential link between these brain changes and vascular risk factors, brain shrinkage, and dementia markers.
Michael L. Alosco, PhD, of Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, said that white matter hyperintensities, easily visible on MRI scans, could serve as a tool to investigate the long-term consequences of repetitive head impacts. These impacts have also been tied to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative condition that can lead to dementia.
The study,funded by the National Institutes of Health and National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke,compared 120 former professional and 60 former college football players,averaging 57 years old,with 60 symptom-free men,averaging 59 years old,who had no history of football or head trauma.
Researchers used brain scans and lumbar punctures to analyze biomarkers of neurodegenerative disease and white matter changes. They found that in former football players, a higher burden of white matter hyperintensities correlated with greater vascular risk factors, elevated levels of p-tau proteins (associated with Alzheimer’s and CTE), increased brain shrinkage, and reduced white matter integrity.
The link between white matter hyperintensities and stroke risk was over 11 times stronger in former football players. The relationship with p-tau was 2.5 times stronger, and the measure of white matter integrity was nearly four times stronger.
“While our research previously showed that former football players still have elevated white matter hyperintensity burden after controlling for sleep apnea, alcohol use and high cholesterol, it is still important to consider working on modifying these risk factors due to their effects on cognitive problems and other symptoms,” Alosco said.
Researchers cautioned that the study’s reliance on volunteers and its focus on elite football players limit the generalizability of the findings.
What’s next
Future research will explore the potential for modifying risk factors to mitigate cognitive problems and other symptoms in former football players.
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