Soccer, the most popular sport in the world, exposes players to repeated head impacts and concussions, due to contact with another player or with the ground. Moreover, routine game-play in soccer involves intentional and repeated head impacts through ball "heading", with frequent high velocities, which might cause a transient brain dysfunction. In this pre-post prospective interventional study, 22 soccer players will perform 10 headers from machine-projected soccer balls at standardized speeds, modelling routine soccer practice. They will perform heading series in 2 different oral conditions, on different days at least 1 week apart: 1) Without mouthguard and tight jaws ; 2) With mouthguard and tight jaws. The strength of the neck muscles will be measured before the heading series. The kinematic of the movement will be recorded during each impact during the 2 heading series, as well as the activity of the jaw muscles which will be recorded by electromyogram. Before and after each heading series, electrophysiological data, multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and cognitive computerized assessment will be acquired
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
21
10 headers from machine-projected soccer balls at standardized speeds
Brain MRI before and after a series
Cognitive evaluation carried out with two computerized tools
Electrophysiological recording of Motor Evoked Potentials consisting of the application of transcranial magnetic stimulations (TMS) and the collection of muscle activity by electromyogram (EMG)
Measure of the strength of the neck muscles using a dynamometer
CHU de Bordeaux
Bordeaux, France
Mean acceleration (m/s²)
Mean linear and rotational acceleration of the head
Time frame: Week 4
Mean acceleration (m/s²)
Mean linear and rotational acceleration of the head
Time frame: Week 6
Period of cortical silence (milliseconds)
Corticomotor inhibition measured in milliseconds using transcranial magnetic stimulation and electromyographic recordings.
Time frame: Week 4
Period of cortical silence (milliseconds)
Corticomotor inhibition measured in milliseconds using transcranial magnetic stimulation and electromyographic recordings.
Time frame: Week 6
Normalized score
Normalized score (Z-score) on the subtests of the computerized cognitive battery
Time frame: Week 4
Normalized score
Normalized score (Z-score) on the subtests of the computerized cognitive battery
Time frame: Week 6
Average time
Average time on the subtests of the computerized cognitive battery
Time frame: Week 4
Average time
Average time on the subtests of the computerized cognitive battery
Time frame: Week 6
Mean strength ratio (Newton)
Mean strength ratio between flexor and extensor muscles of the neck measured in Newton using a dynamometer
Time frame: Week 4
Mean strength ratio (Newton)
Mean strength ratio between flexor and extensor muscles of the neck measured in Newton using a dynamometer
Time frame: Week 6
T-size measure
Functional connectivity at rest in MRI
Time frame: Week 4
T-size measure
Functional connectivity at rest in MRI
Time frame: Week 6
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