Former Rugby, GAA, and soccer players sought for TCD study into dementia

The 'Irish Examiner' reported this week on former French international Sébastien Chabal who revealed he could no longer remember any of his professional career. See link to that article below. He is pictured after the 2007 Rugby World Cup quarter final against Wales. Picture: Julien Behal/PA

Former athletes who played contact sports such as rugby, GAA, and soccer are being asked to take part in new research investigating the links between sport-related brain injury and dementia risk in later life.

The Resolve project, led by researchers from Trinity College Dublin, is seeking 360 people between the ages of 40 and 59 who previously played these sports at a high level.

The research team plans to undertake detailed clinical, cognitive, physical, and lifestyle assessments of those participating during an initial visit, and again at another visit two years later.

The results will then be compared to those of a control group with 700 members.

Researchers say the study will explore how dementia risk might be reduced through lifestyle changes such as managing blood pressure and implementing exercise programmes.

The project marks the first time research of this type is conducted at such a large scale in Ireland.

Former Donegal footballer Luke Keaney — pictured during the 2014 Ulster GAA Football Senior Championship semi-final — is taking part in the TCD research. Picture: Donall Farmer/Inpho

It will also be one of the largest international longitudinal studies of the brain health of mid-life contact-sports athletes.

Player and welfare representatives from several prominent sporting bodies are collaborating on the recruitment of participants for the study.

“Scientists already know that experiencing a sport-related brain injury during your lifetime increases the risk of dementia in later life by around 3-15%,” said Lorina Naci, associate professor of TCD’s School of Psychology, the Global Brain Health Institute, and the study’s principal investigator.

“However, we don’t fully understand how sport-related TBI [traumatic brain injury] impacts cognition and brain health in mid-life, prior to the development of dementia symptoms.”

The Resolve project at Trinity College Dublin is appealing for people aged 40 to 59 to come forward for their study into dementia. Picture: iStock

The study’s co-principal investigator, physiotherapy professor Fiona Wilson, said the project aims to find new ways “to measure TBI-related dementia risk, and to identify changes in lifestyle that could reduce this risk in contact sports athletes and the wider population, some 20-30 years before symptoms, such as memory loss and confusion, develop”.

Former Donegal footballer Luke Keaney, who is taking part in the study, said he hoped his experiences would “contribute to the learnings of the programme and lead to positive change”.

“My aim is to improve the overall wellbeing of retired athletes worldwide, through acting as the athletes’ voice,” he said.

In recent years, there has been a growing body of scientific evidence showing links between repeated exposure to head injury in contact sports and memory and cognition issues.

Several high-profile athletes have also spoken of the effect head trauma during their careers has had on their later lives.

Earlier this week, former French rugby international Sébastien Chabal revealed that he could no longer remember any of his professional career, including the 62 times he represented his country.

The former lock told the Youtube channel Legend that his current memory issues even extended beyond his playing years and into his childhood.

• The Resolve project is seeking to recruit 360 retired rugby, GAA/LGFA, and soccer players aged 40-59 for the study. Visit TheResolveStudy.org to learn more about the research and apply to participate.