About the project

The SCORES project is an independent research study designed to better understand the cognitive health of former professional football players as they age. We know that former professional footballers are at greater risk of neurodegeneration, but we need to better understand this risk. The SCORES study will investigate the rate of cognitive decline in former professional footballers compared with the average healthy person. We will recruit both men and women to the study. As the study develops and we collect more data, participants will receive feedback on how they compare with their peers. This data will be vital for our future research into predicting the risk of brain degeneration.

Disclaimer: The assessment we use in the SCORES study cannot be used to diagnose dementia. However, study participants who are revealed to have signs of cognitive decline that warrant investigation will be notified and signposted to seek clinical assessment and care.

Dementia & Football

Dementia is a relatively common and progressive condition that impacts on cognitive function and health. The UK government has identified it as a priority area for healthcare and the NHS is promoting the importance of early diagnosis. Neurodegeneration has become an important area of research in the game of football with former professional footballers . The FIELD study showed that former professional footballers were around 5 times as likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease than a matched population.

MEET THE TEAM

Dr Michael J. Grey

Michael is a Reader in Rehabilitation Neuroscience at the University of East Anglia. He has worked in the brain injury field as an educator and researcher for more than 20 years. His research interests include developing better tests for the assessment of sport concussion, return to play/learn/work, and sport-related neurodegeneration. On occasion, he can be found on twitter: @drmichaeljgrey

Prof Michael Hornberger

Michael is the Professor of Applied Dementia Research at the Norwich Medical School and the Associate Dean of Innovation, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. His research focuses on early diagnosis, disease progression tracking and symptom management in dementia. Michael is an expert in cognitive assessment and development of novel cognitive tests. For this project, he will lead the cognitive testing side for detecting the earliest symptoms of dementia.

Ellen Boucher

Ellen has joined the SCORES projects as a PhD student. She has a background in neuropsychology and neuroscience. Ellen is also an amateur football player and a FA Level 1 qualified coach with experience coaching adults with disabilities and children in London. Ellen is passionate about encouraging women and girls to play football, and advocating for inclusion of women in research.

Dr Sarah Hanson

Dr Sarah Hanson is a lecturer in Health Sciences. Sarahâ€™s research focuses on preventative health, especially community based physical activity interventions. Her input to the project will be the use of qualitative methods, focusing on the experiences of people who have participated in sport and their understanding of any risks. She is particularly interested in risks to womenâ€™s health. Sarah is also a loyal Canaries fan (Norwich City FC for those of you not in the know!)

Concussion Action Programme

The SCORES Project is a research study being conducted in connection with the Concussion Action Programme with the UEA Health and Social Care Partners. The Concussion Action Programme raises awareness of concussion and aims to reduce the risks related to concussion in athletes and school children by facilitating concussion research and working with local schools and sport clubs to improve concussion awareness in addition to creating CPD opportunities for health professionals.

Email: scoresproject@uea.ac.uk | @ProjectScores

SCORES Project,
C/O Dr Michael J. Grey
School of Health Sciences, The Queen’s Building, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ