Study Finds Brain Changes in College Football Players

A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds changes in the brains of college football players -- with and without a history of a concussion, Reuters reported. Compared to men who did not play college football, football players had smaller hippocampuses, a part of the brain critical to memory. Researchers said that the findings could be significant because these changes were found for those finishing college. Many other studies on the impact of football on the brain have examined long-term professional players, while the new study suggests the potential for real damage before a player leaves college.