Ask to take part

Contact the study team using the details below to take part. If there are no contact details below please ask your doctor in the first instance.

Contact Information:

Dr Michael Turner
+44-207-383-7654
michael@ichirf.org


More information about this study, what is involved and how to take part can be found on the study website.

Study Location:

Find another location


Questions to ask
Skip to Main Content
English | Cymraeg
Be Part of Research - Trial Details - Brain health in retired athletes
Back

Brain health in retired athletes

Recruiting

Open to: All Genders

Age: Adult

London Dublin

Medical Conditions

Neurodegenerative disease

This information is provided directly by researchers, and we recognise that it isn't always easy to understand. We are working with researchers to improve the accessibility of this information. In some summaries, you may come across links to external websites. These websites will have more information to help you better understand the study.


Mild head injury is also often referred to as concussion, minor head injury or mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Regardless of the terminology used, the occurrence of a head injury in these cases causes the brain to shake back and forth inside the skull, causing mild damage.
Mild head injury is commonly caused by falls, road crashes, assaults and sports accidents. While most mild head injuries result in no long-term damage to the brain, it can cause temporary disruption to brain function that can last for at least a number of weeks.
This study is a long-term study to look at retired elite men and women athletes (who had a high risk of concussion during their sporting careers) and compare them to similarly aged controls with no history of TBI. The overall aim is to see whether a history of head injury makes individuals more at risk of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, motor neuron disease or other brain problems.

Start dates may differ between countries and research sites. The research team are responsible for keeping the information up-to-date.  

The recruitment start and end dates are as follows:

01 Jun 2015 31 Dec 2025

Publications

2022 Results article in https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36111130/ (added 20/09/2022)2024 Preprint results in https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.11.05.24316739 (added 24/01/2025)

This study involves an initial online screening questionnaire. If accepted into the study, the subject will be invited to attend one of the test centres (London, Dublin) for an initial baseline assessment. This will involve a physical examination, doing a detailed questionnaire, having a blood test, a MRI brain scan, a cognitive (memory) test with a neuropsychologist, an eye test and providing saliva, blood and urine samples. The testing will take most of a day to complete and subjects are reimbursed for their travel expenses (including the expenses fora partner or carer to attend). Results will be made available to the individual and their usual general practitioner. Subjects may be invited for retesting after a gap of no less than 5 years with the same testing process.


Anyone who is a retired former elite sports man or woman aged 40-85 years and can understand and participate in the testing procedures. Controls are drawn from individuals with no previous head injuries and do not have to be former elite athletes. There is an online screening questionnaire to check eligibility.

You can take part if:


Current inclusion criteria as of 24/01/2025:
1. Completed the online screening assessment
2. Participated in elite sport or amateur sport on a regular basis
3. Can understand and participate in the testing procedures
4. Are able to provide informed consent for participation
5. Are now retired from active participation in comp


You may not be able to take part if:


1. For the questionnaire study if they are aged <18 years and ineligible for the phenotyping <50 years2. Have a history of previous severe traumatic brain injury3. Are on current psychotropic medication4. They have a pre-existing medically-diagnosed neurological disorder (e.g. Alzheimer’s dementia, Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Motor Neuron Disease)5. The participant is currently enrolled in a disease modifying therapeutic (drug or interventional) trial 6. Presence of any of the following clinical conditions: Substance abuse within the past year; Unstable cardiac, pulmonary, renal, hepatic, endocrine, hematologic, or active malignancy or infectious disease; AIDS or AIDS-related complex; Unstable psychiatric illness defined as psychosis (hallucinations or delusions) or untreated major depression within 90 days of the screening visit


Below are the locations for where you can take part in the trial. Please note that not all sites may be open.

  • International Concussion and Head Injury Research Foundation (ICHIRF)
    170 Tottenham Court Road
    London
    W1T 7HA
  • Beacon Hospital Research Institute
    Suite 13 Beacon Mall Beacon Hospital
    Dublin
    Dublin 18

There are no anticipated risks with the testing and no medical interventions or treatments are given with this study. Blood testing will be performed by professional phlebotomists. All data obtained is coded and de-identified and confidentiality is maintained throughout the study. At the conclusion of the study, deidentified data will be made available for researchers to understand the effects of aging and head injuries.
The tangible benefits are of a comprehensive assessment of physical and brain health at each assessment time point and this information will be provided to the subject and a copy to their usual GP to follow up on any issues of note. The intangible benefit is an altruistic one of participating in an important study that will help understand the link between head trauma, ageing and long-term brain disease.

Dr Michael Turner
+44-207-383-7654
michael@ichirf.org



More information about this study, what is involved and how to take part can be found on the study website.


The study is sponsored by The International Concussion and Head Injury Research Foundation (ICHIRF) and funded by Injured Jockeys Fund; Godolphin Racing; British Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine; Irish Injured Jockeys; The Players Foundation; National Football League; The Racing Foundation; MARKER AG; Private donations.



We'd like your feedback

Your feedback is important to us. It will help us improve the quality of the study information on this site. Please answer both questions.


Is this study information helpful?

What will you do next?
Read full details for Trial ID: ISRCTN11312093
Last updated 24 January 2025

This page is to help you find out about a research study and if you may be able to take part

You can print or share the study information with your GP/healthcare provider or contact the research team directly.   

Back to the top