New Study Highlights Long-Term Brain Risks for Football Players

Recent research in JAMA Network Open reinforces the connection between American football and long-term brain health risks. Analyzing hundreds of men aged 40 and older, the study found that anyone with football experience—ranging from youth leagues to professional play—tended to score lower on cognitive tests, report more personal cognitive concerns, and experience more severe depressive symptoms compared with those without repeated head impacts.

Longer duration and higher levels of play were associated with the greatest impairments. These findings highlight the need for public health communicators to continue raising awareness about repetitive head trauma and its potential long-term effects on mental and cognitive health.