Neuropsychological outcome and player characteristics in amateur soccer players

A growing body of research suggests that the game of soccer causes neurophysiological damage and neuropsychological deficits in its players. This research project evaluated player characteristics, including aggression, position, heading frequency, and head injuries in an attempt to delineate the effect of traumatic head injuries from the possible detrimental effects of heading the ball. Fifty-three male, amateur soccer players participated in a brief neuropsychological evaluation and a structured interview. Findings revealed that the number of years played (r=.30, p=.03) and an index score representing the number of competitive seasons (r=.44, p=001) were the only player characteristics that correlated with test performance. Results also suggest that past research has underestimated the connection between heading frequency and aggression (r\u3e.4, p [is less than or equal to] .002), a variable that may be related to head injury