Heading a soccer ball linked to markers of brain damage in the blood

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2026-05-19 01:00

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Heading a soccer ball, even at an amateur level, has been linked to higher levels of markers of neural damage in the blood after the match, according to international research. The researchers looked at levels of six markers that are linked to traumatic brain injury and neurodegenerative diseases, and found elevated levels of two markers in the blood of amateur players who had headed a ball during a game. The authors say that given the links between repetitive head impacts and neurodegenerative disease, these findings suggest that even amateur-level heading may acutely affect neural integrity.

News release

From: JAMA

Amateur Soccer Heading and Acute Elevations in Blood-Based p-Tau217 and S100B

About The Study: The findings of this case-control study show that soccer heading was associated with acute increases in blood biomarkers of neural damage, including dose-response relationships. These findings suggest that amateur-level heading may acutely affect neural integrity.

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Journal/
conference: JAMA Neurology

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Emma Children’s Hospital, the Netherlands

Funder: This study was financially supported by The Royal Dutch Football Association

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