Over 100 ex-footballers to be recruited for study into dementia risks
The aim is to reduce the risk of dementia amongst other footballers
Over 100 former professional footballers are set to be recruited to a new study looking to reduce the risk of developing dementia in later life.
Researchers at the BrainHope study being carried out by the University of Glasgow will take on 120 middle-aged ex-professional footballers to see how the game has affected their mental capability.
The footballers, aged between 40 and 59, will be tested and compared against other members of the general public to spot differences following excessive headballing.
BrainHope will also build on the findings of a similar study from 2019 which found that those who played football professionally were 3.5 times more likely to die of a neurodegenerative disease than regular members of the public.
The study is also due to last four years and cost around £1.3 million with the goal to discover possibilities to reduce the risk of developing dementia and other degenerative diseases in the brain.
Speaking about the launch of the project, Professor Willie Stewart, BrainHope lead, consultant neuropathologist and honorary Professor at the University of Glasgow, said that footballers should be concerned about the effect the game has on their brain.
"This is an incredibly important study, and we are grateful to the Football Association (FA) and FIFA for their support to allow it to proceed," he said.
"Our findings from the Field study show there is reason to worry about lifelong brain health in former footballers.
"BrainHope is designed to identify tests that might detect problems early on and, more importantly, possible ways to try and reduce dementia risk for former footballers."