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A study found that repeated minor head hits can cause damage to the brain over time.
Researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center and Carnegie Mellon University studied 38 players from the University of Rochester football team. For three seasons from 2011 to 2013, the researchers made the players wear a helmet equipped with an accelerometer—a device that measures the number and force of hits—during all practices and actual games. They also scanned the athletes’ brains before and after each season.
Previously, it was believed that only serious head injuries can damage the brain. The recent study suggested, however, that small repetitive head knocks in football games cause changes in the brain the same way a head trauma does.
The study focused on the midbrain, a brain region essential for vision, hearing, and body coordination. These functions are usually affected by hits to the head, making the midbrain a reliable indicator to measure the damage done by knocking heads in football games.
Over the course of the study, only 2 of the 38 participants had serious head injuries, but more than two-thirds of the group showed reduced white matter in their midbrain. Based on the data, the number of head hits was directly related to the damage to the midbrain’s white matter.
White matter connects different brain regions and allows them to communicate with one another. Thus, damage to white matter can cause problems in body functions and behavior.
According to one of the researchers, the study provides new insight on the long-term effects of repetitive head hits. The researcher recommends that further investigation be done so that the study can be used for public health initiatives and the diagnosis of head injuries in the future.