As debate over football’s long-term effects on players’ cognitive function continues among doctors and the N.F.L., the discussion will soon move to Congress.

Representative John Conyers Jr., a Michigan Democrat and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, announced in a statement late Friday afternoon that the committee planned to hold hearings on the impact of head injuries sustained by N.F.L. players, “and what can be done to limit them and compensate the players and their families.”

Conyers did not indicate when hearings would take place or specifically who from the league and players union would be called to testify. The statement hinted that the discussion would extend beyond the professional game: “This issue affects not just N.F.L. players, but millions of high school and college football players as well,” it said.

Conyers’s announcement follows a report in The New York Times this week that a study commissioned by the N.F.L. indicated that its retired players, particularly those ages 30 through 49, appear to have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or related cognitive disorders vastly more often than the general population.