• Posted February 26, 2026

Inflammation Linked To Brain Damage, Memory Problems Among Football Players

Inflammation caused by repetitive head impacts might help explain why some former football players develop brain problems later in life, a new study says.

Higher levels of inflammation are associated with damage in the brain’s white matter, according to a study of former college and professional football players published Feb. 25 in the journal Neurology.

This brain damage is linked to worse memory, researchers say.

“Experiencing repetitive head impacts during contact sports like American football has been found in previous research to increase the risk for neurodegenerative diseases like CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy),” said senior researcher Breton Asken, an assistant professor of clinical and health psychology at the University of Florida in Gainesville.

“However, the paths linking these head impacts to symptoms later in life are not well understood,” Asken said in a news release. “Our study found that higher levels of inflammation were associated with brain changes that were, in turn, related to poorer cognition.”

CTE is a degenerative brain disease that can lead to brain decline and dementia, researchers said in background notes. It's been linked to concussions and repetitive head impacts.

For the new study, researchers analyzed 223 men, of whom 170 played college or professional football. All were in their late 50s.

Researchers tested each person’s blood and spinal fluid for markers related to inflammation, and used MRI scans to evaluate their brain structure. Participants also underwent evaluation for symptoms related to CTE.

Results showed that 59% of the football players had developed cognitive decline and 58% had an impaired ability to manage their emotions and behavior. Among non-players, none had cognitive decline and only 2% reported trouble managing emotions and behavior.

Higher levels of inflammation were associated with damage in the white matter of the brain, particularly the limbic system, researchers said. The limbic system helps regulate emotions, motivation, memory and other behaviors.

This white matter damage in football players was associated with worse memory, researchers found.

Further, these links were stronger among 57 football players most likely to have CTE, researchers said.

“Because the limbic system influences both cognition and behavior, targeting inflammation could offer a way to potentially reduce the risk for developing brain changes that lead to worsening symptoms associated with repetitive head injuries,” Asken said.

Inflammation also could be used as a means of detecting and diagnosing CTE, researchers noted in their study.

“We are excited to continue to explore this path in future research,” Asken said.

More information

Harvard Medical School has more on CTE.

SOURCE: American Academy of Neurology, news release, Feb. 25, 2026