News Neuroscience

Playing football linked to brain changes

College players have smaller hippocampi, especially if they’ve had concussions

TAKING A HIT  The memory center of the brain is smaller in college football players than in other men who don’t play football or soccer, apparently due to head trauma, a study finds.

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By Nathan Seppa

- More than 2 years ago

A college football player who has been diagnosed with a concussion is likely to have a smaller hippocampus, the memory center of the brain, than a player who hasn’t been so diagnosed, a new study finds.