A new study has been launched in order to better understand the relationship between playing soccer and developing dementia.
The study being conducted by the University of East Anglia (UEA) will be testing former soccer professionals, both male and female, for early signs of dementia. Tests will be conducted every six months in order to map their rate of decline.
The UEA project will be using cutting edge technology to detect signs of dementia long before noticeable symptoms, such as memory loss. The initiative follows a landmark research by the University of Glasgow, which showed that former players were about three and a half times more likely to die from neurodegenerative disease.
Lead researcher of the UEA project Dr. Michael Grey said: "In former professionals, there is a problem. We now need to investigate that much further. What we're interested in doing is looking at people who are actually still with us. I want to to follow them for years, ideally for the rest of their lives."
Most of the study participants will be able to take the tests from their homes via a tablet or computer devices where they will complete simple tasks. The research will include several new techniques, including testing spatial navigation, an area of cognitive function that Dr. Grey says seems to degrade more rapidly than others.
Dr. Grey said: "I think the easiest way to explain it is if you drove into work today, you could probably close your eyes and point to your car, and you'd be pretty close to being accurate."
"People with dementia have challenges doing those types of exercises because it relies on an area of the brain that's responsible for remembering where we are in space," he pointed out.
The UEA is aiming to raise £1 million for the study, of which 10% will be crowd funded.
