About this episode

Professor Louise Serpell discusses the impact of repetitive head impacts in football and its link to chronic traumatic encephalopathy and dementia.

Professor Louise Serpell narrates her blog written for Dementia Researcher. As excitement builds around the 2026 World Cup final, Louise examines the darker side of the beautiful game: the relationship between repetitive head impacts, chronic traumatic encephalopathy and dementia. She explains what distinguishes CTE from Alzheimer’s disease, explores progress towards diagnosis and treatment, and considers how changes to the rules of sport could protect future generations. https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/blog-football-cte-and-the-science-protecting-future-players/ -- Professor Louise Serpell is an Emerita Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Sussex. Her research focuses on how proteins misfold and form amyloid structures linked to Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions, using approaches from structural biology and molecular biophysics. Louise completed her DPhil at the University of Oxford and later established her own research group in the UK. Alongside her research career, she has been active in mentoring, public engagement, and supporting early career researchers. Find Louise on LinkedIn -- Enjoy listening? We're always looking for new…

People in this episode

Guest: Professor Louise Serpell

Topics covered

• football
• CTE
• dementia
• sports safety
• neurodegenerative diseases
• research

Keywords

• football
• CTE
• dementia
• Alzheimer's disease
• sports rules
• neurodegeneration
• research

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Sussex, Dementia Researcher, University College London, National Institute for Health and Care Research, Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society, Race Against Dementia

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