New Study to Monitor Ex-Soccer Stars for Early Signs of Dementia

Researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA) have begun a study on the connection between playing soccer and dementia by monitoring former male and female professional athletes every six months, reports CNN . This follows a seminal study from the University of Glasgow that showed former soccer players were about 3.5 times more likely to die from neurodegenerative disorders. Most participants in the UEA study will be able to take tests at home, using tablets or computers to complete simple tasks. The UEA's Michael Grey said some techniques for evaluating cognitive function that appear to decline more rapidly than others will be included, such as spatial navigation. "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," he noted. "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." The UEA aims to raise $1.32 million for new study, with 10 percent of the amount hopefully crowdfunded.