Patel Liam, Tarafder Julikram, Ronca Flaminia
Institute of Sport Exercise and Health, UCL, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Int J Sports Med. 2025 Mar;46(3):151-163. doi: 10.1055/a-2409-0323. Epub 2024 Sep 3.
Large cohort studies have reported that former professional football players have an increased risk of mortality from neurodegenerative disease. Due to emerging concerns regarding the safety of heading the technique is now banned for players under 12. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the association between heading exposure and cognitive function in professional football players. A search strategy was devised and entered into seven electronic databases: MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, PsycINFO, CENTRAL, SportDiscus and PEDro. The search identified 563 records. After screening records and applying the eligibility criteria, nine cross-sectional studies (n=925) were included in the review, investigating 452 current and 473 former players (859 males, 66 females). Six studies (n=595) reported evidence for an association between heading and impaired cognitive function, while three studies (n=330) reported no association. Diverse cognitive domains were investigated, which might underline the disparity in these results. The association between heading and cognitive function in professional football appears likely but remains inconclusive. Methodological heterogeneity and variability in the presentation of results limits the conclusions drawn. Prospective longitudinal studies using standardised methods, and including females, are required to provide evidence to support or refute an association.
大型队列研究报告称，前职业足球运动员死于神经退行性疾病的风险有所增加。由于人们对头球技术安全性的担忧日益增加，现在12岁以下的球员禁止使用该技术。本系统评价的目的是评估职业足球运动员头球暴露与认知功能之间的关联。制定了检索策略并输入七个电子数据库：医学索引数据库（MEDLINE）、荷兰医学文摘数据库（Embase）、科学引文索引数据库（Web of Science）、心理学文摘数据库（PsycINFO）、考克兰系统评价数据库（CENTRAL）、体育与运动医学数据库（SportDiscus）和循证医学数据库（PEDro）。检索共识别出563条记录。在筛选记录并应用纳入标准后，本评价纳入了9项横断面研究（n = 925），调查了452名现役球员和473名前球员（859名男性，66名女性）。6项研究（n = 595）报告了头球与认知功能受损之间存在关联的确凿证据，而3项研究（n = 330）报告无关联。研究了多种认知领域，这可能是这些结果存在差异的原因。职业足球运动员头球与认知功能之间的关联似乎存在，但仍无定论。方法学上的异质性和结果呈现的变异性限制了所得出的结论。需要采用标准化方法并纳入女性的前瞻性纵向研究来提供证据，以支持或反驳这种关联。
