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TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY

Genetic interplay with soccer ball heading

Nature Reviews Neurology volume 16, pages 189–190 (2020)Cite this article

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Mortality from neurodegenerative disease is high among professional soccer players, potentially associated with repeated head impacts during routine gameplay. New data suggest that the apolipoprotein E ε4 allele might exacerbate the effects of soccer ball heading on cognition. However, genotyping of athletes to determine their dementia risk remains a distant prospect.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosurgery, Penn Center for Brain Injury and Repair, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Douglas H. Smith

  2. Neuropathology Research Laboratory, Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK

    William Stewart

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  1. Douglas H. Smith
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  2. William Stewart
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Correspondence to William Stewart.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Smith, D.H., Stewart, W. Genetic interplay with soccer ball heading. Nat Rev Neurol 16, 189–190 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41582-020-0334-6

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