Lasting Impact: How the Murky World of Concussions Might Be Causing Permanent Damage Even Among Those Who Will Never Go Pro

To raise IQ levels and ward off dementia, play Sudoku. To do the opposite, play football.

That’s the fear concussion experts are mulling these days as more is known about the damage that head injuries can cause. The more research uncovers, the less looks good about the basic motions that make up sports like football — and that’s without limiting the discussion to the level of hitting and intensity that occurs in the professional game.
The garden-variety kind of football that’s been present in...