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Updated: Aug 7, 2026

In Vivo Protocol of Controlled Subconcussive Head Impacts for the Validation of Field Study Data
Published on: April 18, 2019
A dose-response relation of headers and concussions with cognitive impairment in professional soccer players
J T Matser1, A G Kessels, M D Lezak
1Department of Anatomy, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. erik.matser@st-anna.nl
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of headers and concussions on cognitive impairment in professional soccer players. A group of 84 active professional soccer players from several premier league soccer clubs underwent neuropsychological evaluations. The dose-response relation between the number of headers in one professional season and the number of soccer-related concussions on cognitive functioning was investigated. It was found that the number of headers in one season was related to poorer results on tests measuring focused attention and visual/verbal memory. Soccer-related concussions were related to poorer results on tests measuring sustained attention and visuoperceptual processing. The findings suggest that headers as well as concussions separately contribute to cognitive impairment.

