Soccer headers: do mouthguards protect your brain?
NCT ID NCT04426188
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study looked at how heading a soccer ball changes the brain and whether wearing a mouthguard makes a difference. Twenty-one male soccer players did 10 headers in two sessions—once with a mouthguard and once without. Before and after, they had brain scans, cognitive tests, and measurements of neck strength and jaw muscle activity.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could help understand how soccer headers affect the brain and whether mouthguards reduce that impact.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small, early study with only 21 male players. It looks at short-term changes, not long-term brain health, so results may not apply widely.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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CHU de Bordeaux
Bordeaux, 33 076, France
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