Psychiatric News (3/2) reports a study found that “former football players have worse cognitive and behavioral outcomes later in life compared with peers not exposed to repeated head impacts.” Researchers observed that “compared with 282 matched male controls with no exposure to head impacts, 661 former football players (ages 40+, average age 58) performed worse on a computerized cognitive test, reported more subjective cognitive concerns, and had more depressive symptoms.” A second analysis demonstrated that “both more years playing football and reaching higher levels of play were associated with greater neuropsychiatric problems.” Researchers found that “compared with players who stopped at the youth or high school level, former professional players had 1.36 times the odds of having clinically meaningful cognitive concerns, 1.61 times the odds of having impaired behavioral regulation, and 2.21 times the odds of clinically meaningful depressive symptoms.” The study was published in JAMA Network Open.
Related Links:
— “Longer Football Career May Lead to Worse Cognitive Outcomes, Psychiatric News , March 2, 2026