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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- The study has not been peer-reviewed and did not prove a direct link to Alzheimer disease, though researchers expect to submit larger analyses later this year to clarify dementia risk.
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Leaning Left7Leaning Right8Center40Last UpdatedBias Distribution73% Center
Bias Distribution
- 73% of the sources are Center
73% Center
13%
C 73%
14%
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