Cerebral and Cognitive Impact of Female Professional SoccerPractice

The objective of this study is to evaluate, using MRI, the microstructural consequences and the onset of any cognitive impairment in female professional soccer players at the end of their career, who have experienced repeated minor head injuries. Over the long term, these head injuries could lead to morphological lesions and have an impact on female soccer players' cognitive skills.

The main evaluation criterion corresponds to the modifications found on MRI in the female professional soccer player group (diffusion tensor, cerebral perfusion, fMRI, cerebral volumetry and cortical thickness, spectroscopy, susceptibility imaging).

This is an exposure/nonexposure study assessing the onset of MRI abnormalities (diffusion tensor, cerebral perfusion, fMRI, volumetry and cortical thickness, spectroscopy, susceptibility imaging) in female professional soccer players exposed to repeated mild head injuries, who are either at the end of their career or retired for approximately 10 years, compared to high-level athletes not exposed to head injuries.

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Key information

Conditions

Traumatic Chronic Encephalopathy Brain Damage, Chronic Brain Diseases Brain Injuries Brain Injuries, Traumatic Brain Injury, Chronic Central Nervous System Diseases Chronic Disease Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Craniocerebral Trauma Disease Attributes Nervous System Diseases Neurodegenerative Diseases Pathologic Processes Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Trauma, Nervous System Wounds and Injuries

Age range

32 year–65 year

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

Exposed high-level athletes: female professional soccer players at the end of their career (32- years old) playing in France Ligue 1 or 2 exposed to repeated mild head injuries with no history of severe head injury or cerebral
Female High-level athletes not exposed to repeated mild head injuries: control group paired for age with female professional soccer players, who have never regularly participated in sports exposing them to head injuries (notably rugby, basketball, handball, American football, hockey, combat sports, etc.) and who have no history of head injury, even mild. Female Professional tennis players or former players will be preferentially recruited.

Exclusion criteria

Refusal to be informed of abnormalities on MRI
Incapacity to give informed consent or under a legal protection order;
History of cerebral concussion including the presence after head shock of one or more of the following signs or symptoms: a period of confusion or disorientation, a period of loss of consciousness of 30 minutes or less, post-traumatic amnesia not exceeding 24 hours
History of severe head/brain injury;
History of neurological or psychiatric disorder;
Known cerebral abnormality diagnosed by an imaging exam (CT or MRI);
History or regular or occasional consumption of drugs, unweaned active smoking or weaned for less than 1 year, excessive consumption of alcohol (> 20 g alcohol per day, evaluated with the formula "degree of alcohol × volume in cl × 8/1000"), weaned or not.
Usage of medication targeting the central nervous system in the 2 weeks preceding inclusion in the study;
Prior history of severe hypertension, diabetes, chronic heart disease, progressive or disabling disease;
Contraindication to MRI (claustrophobia, implanted material not compatible with MRI, refusal to be informed of abnormality discovered on MRI)

Treatment and study plan

cerebral MRI

Other

Cerebral MRI

Primary outcomes

Cerebral MRI Microstructural abnormalities

Time frame: Day 1

Abnormalities on MRI in professional soccer players exposed to repeated mild head injuries, potentially related to chronic traumatic encephalopathy, compared to high-level athletes who are not exposed to head injuries.

This is a study assessing the relation between exposure to mild head injuries during soccer play in professional players and the onset of MRI and neuropsychological abnormalities. The main evaluation criterion corresponds to the quantitative MRI modifications (professional soccer player group compared with control group).

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Stéphane KREMER, MD

CONTACT

[email protected]

03 88 12 78 48 ext. 0033

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University Hospital, Strasbourg, France

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Cerebral and Cognitive Modifications in Retired Female Professional Soccer Players as Compared to Non Exposed to Repeated Cranial Impacts Sportswomen : Transverse Analytic Study

Acronym: TCFOOT F

Important dates

Study start: 2025
Primary completion: 2027
Study completion: 2027
First posted: Jan 23, 2025
Registry last updated: Aug 5, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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