Researchers from the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) analyzed the brain MRIs of 352 amateur soccer players, aged 18 to 53, both men and women. They discovered abnormalities in the white matter surrounding the brain,

A STUDY presented at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) meeting suggests that heading a soccer ball may cause significant brain damage, even in the absence of diagnosed concussions. The research highlighted concerning links between repetitive head impacts and structural brain changes.

Soccer heading may cause more brain damage than previously thought, according to a new study. Researchers from the Radiological Society of North America looked into the links between one of soccer’s commonplace practices — headbutting the ball — and neurodegenerative diseases such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).