Abnormalities in Brain Activity Detected in Retired NFL Players

A new study uncovered significant abnormalities in brain activity in retired NFL players when compared to healthy volunteers. 

None of the 13 players had been diagnosed with any neurological condition. Even still, their brain activity correlated with the number of times they had to leave the field due to brain injury, according to the researchers.

The study had the former players and 60 volunteers perform a test in which they rearranged colored balls in a series of tubes in a few steps as possible. As they did this, the scientists measured brain activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

In addition to performing worse on the test, the scans revealed a contrast in frontal lobe activity between the two groups so stark that a computer program was able to distinguish between the former players and volunteers with 90 percent accuracy.

"The NFL alumni showed some of the most pronounced abnormalities in brain activity that I have ever seen, and I have processed a lot of patient data sets in the past," Dr. Adam Hampshire, lead author of the study from the Department of Medicine at Imperial College London, said in a statement.

The frontal lobe is tasked with high-order brain activity responsible for regulating other cognitive processes. Changes to its functioning could affect a person's everyday ability to plan and organize.

Previous studies have uncovered a link between football and higher rates of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. The new study, in contrast, suggests that many other players may face a risk of less severe neurological deficits that go undetected during clinical tests.

"The critical fact is that the level of brain abnormality correlates strongly with the measure of head impacts of great enough severity to warrant being taken out of play," Hampshire said. "This means that it is highly likely that damage caused by blows to the head accumulate towards an executive impairment in later life."