The nation erupted with cheers when Elderson Echejile opened the floodgate of goals with a perfect header at the semi-final match against Mali at the recent African Cup of Nations in South Africa. But unknown to most people, it was a huge sacrifice for the country as a research has now revealed that such heading of the ball may increase the risk of brain damage to football players.

The research conducted at the University of Texas, US, revealed revealed that heading a football repeatedly may cause mental impairment or “mild traumatic brain injury of the frontal lobes”. The researchers however point out that more research is needed to determine whether the changes are long-lasting or temporary. But the findings indicate that increasing amounts of playing time worsen performance.

The study involved a group of 12 teenage female football players and a matched group of non-players. Each undertook a simple computer screen task designed to test subtle levels of mental functioning. Participants had to react to the random appearance of a white square by touching a point on the opposite side of the screen. Performance was measured by timing the speed of the responses.

Before the test, girls who played football were given a practice session during which they headed the ball a number of times. The study showed that the football players were significantly slower at the task than non-players.

However, both groups performed equally well in another task that involved touching the white square where it appeared. This test involved a more instinctive response with less thinking required.

Factoring in the number of hours spent playing football each week showed that more games and practice sessions led to slower responses.

Long-term mental impairment is known to be a risk in high-contact sports such as boxing, which involve head jarring that can cause loss of consciousness. But until now it has not been clear whether the much less violent impact of a football on the head could be harmful.

Dr Anne Sereno, from the University of Texas, and colleagues wrote in the online journal Public Library of Science ONE: “These findings suggest that even subconcussive blows in soccer can result in cognitive function changes that are consistent with mild traumatic brain injury of the frontal lobes.”

Numbers of hours per week playing football had a significant effect on response time, while the number of years taking part in the sport had a marginal effect.

The researchers added: “Further study is needed to track soccer players for longer periods to evaluate if these changes are transient or longer lasting, if they are dependent upon repeated sub-concussive blows, and if they generalise to male soccer players.

“To our knowledge, these results provide the first evidence that even subconcussive blows in soccer could lead to measurable, even if possibly transient, cognitive changes in young soccer players.” Dr Serrano hailed the findings as a means of identifying possible neural disorders caused by playing sport.

She said: ‘The app used in our research may be a quick and effective way to screen for and track cognitive changes in athletes it could also have broader applications in clinics or out in the field.’

http://nationalmirroronline.net/new/heading-football-can-cause-brain-damage/

1st.

Heading footballs can cause brain damage eh?

Maybe that explains why Joseph Yobo is such an incompetent footballer.

Now I see why the world's highest scorers are dumbasses...

Oh wait...

jackbauersballs: 1st.

Heading footballs can cause brain damage eh?

Maybe that explains why Joseph Yobo is such an incompetent footballer.

First Position thief.

Thank God messi hardly uses his head.


BTW, i think this affects whites....not blacks, because when i was a kid, we used to head komkom, even big size kpangolo.... And we've grown wiser and smarter!

MUTIU ADEPOJU, BATISTUTA, TERRY, PUYO NEVER CRAZY NA

Story! Story!!












Story!!!

Imanuelle: Thank God messi hardly uses his head.


BTW, i think this affects whites....not blacks, because when i was a kid, we used to head komkom, even big size kpangolo.... And we've grown wiser and smarter!

How did you know you grew wiser and smarter?

Well, for some reasons other than brain damage...I've always avoided heading balls.

chelseabmw: MEANING THE LIKES OF RONALDO N DROGBA HAVE THEIR BRIANS DAMAGED


@POSTER
EVEN THOUGH YOU HAVE NEVER HEADED FOOTBALL IN UR LIFE,I BELIEVE U NEED TO CHECK UR BRAINS FOR POSSIBLE DAMAGE

DONT BELIEVE U POSTED THIS

Sir,

Before you begin to yarn dust on this thread, please see article below:

A football club captain died aged 27 after he suffered a fatal stroke triggered by heading the ball too often.

'Talented' striker Bryan Herbert was a hero among his teammates for his prolific scoresheet and 'man of the match awards'.

But he collapsed just hours after setting up a match-winning goal for his team - Bacup Borough Football Club in Bacup, Lancashire - and died in hospital eight weeks later.

An inquest was told a blood clot on his brain had been caused by footballs regularly clashing with his skull as he went in for headers, which in turn caused the fatal strok

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2289525/Clot-caused-football-Talented-football-striker-27-died-suffering-fatal-stroke-caused-headers.html

Olodo

Nuzo':


How did you know you grew wiser and smarter?

Well, for some reasons other than brain damage...I've always avoided heading balls.

Clever Pun.

Ejiné:

First Position thief.

lol...Your time will come son!

This is fallacy, i have head football several times nothing happen so why this.

If heading football could cause brain damage to football playerz, den what hope do boxers have?

If na so many footballers like Drogba and defenders wey dey head ball komot from crosses for don mad tey tey

Infact, ds tnz don tire me. Evry tn we dy do, dm go say e dy afect our brain. U watch TV, brain wahala. U smoke Igbo, brain damage. U drnk beer, na brain wahala. Mk un stop ds joke, e don do

then how come Pele, Drogba and Mutiu Adepoju (Headmaster) are still normal till now?

C'mon,HEADmasters like Trezzo,Drogba,Adepoju,TERRY et al ain't crazy nah.I Do Not Believe This

What about giving head, wetin e dey cause?

Nuzo':


How did you know you grew wiser and smarter?

Would you reply a duMb post?

Soccer is not primarily an American game,and I have not heard of footballers developing brain damage due to heading the ball(pele,maradona etc)even when football was more heavy and made from tough leather,Americans have a way of allowing science to ruin everything,let them leave our dear soccer alone,if boxing,wrestling and american football don't reecord so many brain damaged participants,why soccer that is basically played with the leg and you have to gnash your teeth if u are SOMETIMES expected to use d head before contact can cause brain damage,let's ask Mutiu Adepoju(headmaster)if he has such symptoms.

vanstanzy:

Headmaster!

Omolabi Orilari

Adehwale: If heading football could cause brain damage to football playerz, den what hope do boxers have?

dem go wear helment 4 head

Hmmmmm ....A VERY BIG FAT LIE!!!