According to a recent study published in the journal Neurology, former NFL players who participated in tackle football before the age of 12 were more likely to have memory and thinking problems in adulthood. During the study, researchers tested 42 former NFL players with an average age of 52, all of whom had experienced memory and thinking problems for at least six months. Half of the players participated in tackle football before the age of 12, and half did not. The number of concussions sustained was similar between the two groups. The results of the study found that compared with former NFL players who started football at age 12 or later, former players who started before age 12 performed significantly worse on all test measures, even after researchers took into account the total number of years of football played and the age of the players at the time of the tests. However, researchers were unable to assess the total number of head impacts. “Our study suggests that there may be a critical window of brain development during which repeated head impacts can lead to thinking and memory difficulties later in life,” said the study’s lead author. “If larger studies confirm this association, there may be a need to consider safety changes in youth sports.” To read more about this study, click here.