Around 200 former England rugby players will participate in a “major scientific study” which will investigate whether effects of the game, such as concussion, have links to dementia and other brain diseases.

The subjects – all over 50 – will take part in face-to-face assessments, and will be asked for blood and urine samples.

In-depth research into their quality of life and social circumstances will also occur while they take part in tests capturing physical and cognitive capabilities.

The study is being conducted in the face of “accumulating evidence” on the risk of conditions including dementia, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and a number of other neurodegenerative diseases in former contact sports athletes.

Queen Mary University’s London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine is working with the Rugby Football Union (RFU) on the study, which has received a £450,000 (US$649,364, €571,831) grant from the Drake Foundation – a body focused on the effects of concussion in sport.

RFU chief medical officer Simon Kemp said the body has “worked extremely hard to increase the education of those involved in the game about concussion”.

“The next step for us as a union and as a sport is progress beyond delivering ‘recognise, remove, recover and return’ and try to understand more about the possible longer-term effects on the health of the brain,” he added.

Former England international Rob Andrew – who is taking part in the research – said: “The study can only be a good thing in terms of players being more informed, but also helping the sport look at how to manage both the short and long-term risks associated with injury.”