Playing Tackle Football Before 12 Is Tied to Brain Problems Later

Athletes who started playing tackle football before age 12 had more behavioral and cognitive problems in the future than those who started playing after age 12, according to a new study published on Tuesday.

The results, from a long-term study by researchers at Boston University, are likely to fuel the debate over when children should start playing football.

The results of the study by researchers at Boston University, published in the journal Nature's Translational Psychiatry, were based on a sample of 214 former players, aged 51 on average. Of these, 43 played in high school, 103 the remaining 68 played in the NFL

In telephone interviews and online surveys, the researchers found that players in all three groups participating in youth soccer before the age of 12 had a double risk of problems with behavior regulation, apathy and executive function. a triple risk of depression scores. "

"The brain is going through this incredible period of growth between 10 and 12 years, and if you subject this developing brain to repetitive impacts on the head, it can cause problems in the future," Robert Stern, one of the authors of the study. said results.

The study is consistent with the previous findings of Stern and others who specifically examined N.F.L. retired This research found that retirees who started playing before age 12 had reduced mental flexibility compared to those who started playing football at age 12 or older.

A growing number of scientists say that because the human brain develops rapidly at an early age, especially between the ages of 10 and 12, children should not play football until they reach adolescence.

Last year, doctors at the Wake Forest School of Medicine used advanced MRI technology to discover that children between the ages of 8 and 13 who played a single tackle football season had reduced brain function. . in some parts of your brain

The National League, which for a long time has denied the link between play and brain injury, has promoted in recent years what it considers to be safer fighting techniques to reduce frontal collisions.

More recently, the league has promoted flag soccer as an even safer alternative, an implicit recognition that parents are concerned about the dangers of sport and are moving away from it.

The participation of children between 6 and 12 years in tackle football has decreased by almost 20% since 2009, but has increased by 1.2% to 1.23 million in 2015, according to the Association of the Industry of China. sport and fitness

The new Boston University study only analyzed behavioral changes, based on telephone and online surveys.

There was no examination of the physical changes in the brain. (A separate study published by researchers at Boston University in July found that 110 of the 111 brains of deceased N.F.L had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease).

However, the results are even more evidence that contributed to an existential crisis for the game, from youth leagues to N.F.L. Pop Warner, the most established youth soccer organization in the country, has reduced the number of contacts in practice, where most of the shots are carried out on doors, and has changed the rules of the game, including the ban. foot. consignment.

Jon Butler, executive director of Pop Warner, said in a statement that the sport has changed significantly for the better, as players from the Boston University study participated there decades ago. He said the organization's medical advisory committee will review the study and "compare it to the number of recent studies that contradict these findings."

Pop Warner faces a class action lawsuit alleging that he knowingly endangers players by ignoring the risk of head trauma.

Last year, the Ivy League decided to eliminate the tackles in the regular season tests. The Canadian Soccer League made a similar announcement last week.

USA  Tackle Football, the body that governs the sport, presents a 7-to-7 version of soccer that includes measures, such as two-point beginners, designed to reduce the risk of blows to the head.

Other groups, such as professionals and professionals, suggest that only the soccer flag is played during the sixth year and a limited version of combat football in grades 7 and 8.

"Curiosity about head injuries and good age to play with full contact is at its peak," said Terry O'Neil, founder of the group. "The attack is the culprit, everyone who is associated with the game is concerned about the numbers of participation."