Heading football causes brain damage

 　　BEIJING, Nov. 30 (Xinhuanet) -- Heading football frequently may cause brain damage leading to subtle but serious declines in thinking and coordination¹ skills, a new study suggested as quoted by media reports Wednesday.

　　Researchers used an advanced MRI (Magnetic Resonance² Imaging) technique to analyze³ changes in brain white matter of 32 adult amateur soccer players who head balls 436 times a year on average.

　　The study found players who head football quite frequently -- with 1,000 or more a year -- showed abnormalities similar to traumatic brain injuries suffered in car accidents.

　　"This is the first study to look at the effects of heading on the brain using sophisticated diffusion⁴ tensor imaging," said Dr. Michael Lipton, a leading researcher and associate director of the Gruss Magnetic Resonance Research Center at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City.

　　"We found the real implication for players isn't from hitting headers once in a while, but repetitively, which can lead to degeneration of brain cells," he added.

　　The researchers compared neurological images of study participants, whose average age was 31, and found those with the highest volume of headers had abnormalities in five areas of the brain, responsible for attention, memory, physical mobility⁵ and high-level visual functions.

　　The findings come in the wake of mixed reports on the so-called "cognitive⁶" consequences of frequently heading soccer balls at practice.

　　Dr. Chris Koutures, a pediatrician and sports medicine specialist in Anaheim Hills, California, said the retrospective imaging study was fascinating, but needs more data to effectively determine safe header limits, especially for younger players.

　　Dr. Lipton agreed neuropsychological damage from headers would be hard for a coach or physician to notice since cognitive problems develop gradually, and even players might not be aware of mild memory loss.

　　"We can't tell an individual today not to be heading a ball, but caution is a good thing," Lipton said. "We need more research for definitive⁷ answers and we have the advanced imaging tools to do it."

1 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

2 resonance   

n.洪亮；共鸣；共振

参考例句：

• Playing the piano sets up resonance in those glass ornaments.一弹钢琴那些玻璃饰物就会产生共振。
• The areas under the two resonance envelopes are unequal.两个共振峰下面的面积是不相等的。

3 analyze   

vt.分析，解析 (=analyse)

参考例句：

• We should analyze the cause and effect of this event.我们应该分析这场事变的因果。
• The teacher tried to analyze the cause of our failure.老师设法分析我们失败的原因。

4 diffusion   

n.流布；普及；散漫

参考例句：

• The invention of printing helped the diffusion of learning.印刷术的发明有助于知识的传播。
• The effect of the diffusion capacitance can be troublesome.扩散电容会引起麻烦。

5 mobility   

n.可动性，变动性，情感不定

参考例句：

• The difference in regional house prices acts as an obstacle to mobility of labour.不同地区房价的差异阻碍了劳动力的流动。
• Mobility is very important in guerrilla warfare.机动性在游击战中至关重要。

6 cognitive   

adj.认知的，认识的，有感知的

参考例句：

• As children grow older,their cognitive processes become sharper.孩子们越长越大，他们的认知过程变得更为敏锐。
• The cognitive psychologist is like the tinker who wants to know how a clock works.认知心理学者倒很像一个需要通晓钟表如何运转的钟表修理匠。

7 definitive   

adj.确切的，权威性的；最后的，决定性的

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• No one has come up with a definitive answer as to why this should be so.至于为什么该这样，还没有人给出明确的答复。