Published 20 hours ago • loading... • Updated 16 hours ago
FROM THE ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2026
Researchers from Imperial College London presented a study on Sunday at the Alzheimer Association International Conference showing retired soccer players have structural brain differences and elevated mental health struggles compared to healthy controls.
The study compared 142 former players aged 30 to 60 against 56 healthy individuals with no contact sport history to track neurological changes in midlife, years before dementia typically emerges.
Brain scans revealed players had less tissue in memory and emotion regions, with 31 per cent reporting clinical depression versus 9 per cent of controls, and 42 per cent experiencing anxiety versus 25 per cent.
Despite structural brain changes, former athletes performed as well as controls on memory and thinking tests, with only 2 per cent showing signs of severe brain shrinkage indicating progressive neurodegeneration.
The study has not been peer-reviewed and did not prove a direct link to Alzheimer disease, though researchers expect to submit larger analyses later this year to clarify dementia risk.