Heading soccer ball may affect mental ability

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Washington, Feb uary 28: A new research has suggested that even less forceful actions like ‘heading’ a soccer ball may cause changes in performance on certain cognitive tasks.

Anne Sereno and colleagues from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston tested the effects of non-injurious head-to-ball impacts on cognitive function using a tablet-based app.

They found that high school female soccer players were significantly slower than non-players on a task that required pointing away from a target on the screen, but showed no difference in performance when pointing to the on-screen visual target.

According to the study, tasks that involve pointing away from a target require specific voluntary responses, whereas moving toward a target is a more reflexive response.

Based on their observations, the researchers concluded that sub-concussive blows to the head might cause changes specifically linked to certain cognitive functions.

They said that the app used in their research might be a quick and effective way to screen for and track cognitive changes in athletes. They add that a tablet-based application for such quick screens may also have broader applications in the clinic or the field.

The finding was published in the open access journal PLOS ONE. (ANI)