Amateur Soccer Heading and Acute Elevations in Blood-Based p-Tau217 and S100B

Is real-life exposure to heading in amateur soccer associated with changes in blood biomarkers of neural damage?This case-control study in a sample of 302 amateur soccer players showed that heading exposure was associated with an acute increase in blood biomarkers of neural damage, while also providing evidence for dose-response relationships.Given links between repetitive head impacts and neurodegenerative disease, these findings suggest that even amateur-level heading may acutely affect neural integrity as reflected by blood biomarker concentration.

Corresponding Author: Marsh Königs, PhD, Emma Children’s Hospital, Amsterdam UMC, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands (m.konigs@amsterdamumc.nl).

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