CASE STUDY: Professional Sports and Brain Trauma, Concussions

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) Impacts in war, car accidents and high-intensity sports are taking a toll on the thinking organ, says Robert John Dempsey, chair of neurological surgery at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “As we have improved our ability to image brains, and to diagnose dysfunction to include cognition, we have discovered deficits that may have been obvious to family members and physicians.” Dempsey says autopsies of people who have had multiple concussions, “suggest there was a permanent injury and loss of brain substance.” The brain shrinkage seen in autopsies of former football players after multiple concussions is called chronic traumatic encephalopathy. This disturbing shrinkage of the brain is linked to severe, deadly brain abnormalities, including memory loss, confusion, paranoia, depression, dementia and Parkinsonism.

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is marked by concentrations of tau protein, shown here as brown spots. More tau equals more damage. Left: a normal, 65-year-old brain. Right: The brain of former NFL linebacker John Grimsley, who died of a gunshot at age 45 after nine concussions.

Brain Lab – Professional Hockey and Concussions, CTM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krdSK8_O0vo NHL and Concussions, CTE – Brain Lab Question: Debate the value of professional athletics (entertainment, money, fame, skill...) to the potential brain damage as a result of participating in the sport. Kids and Concussions Question: Is it responsible parenting to allow their child to continue playing hockey and risk further concussions? Is this considered child abuse/neglect? Females and Concussions Question: What research questions and hypothesis can we develop from the information presented here?

Centre for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy – Boston University http://www.bu.edu/cste/

Articles Related to this Issue http://whyfiles.org/2010/traumatic-brain-injury/ http://footballlawsuit.com/chronic-traumatic-encephalopathy/ http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1112468378/football-concussions-caused-by-series-of-hits/ http://sportsyakima.com/2010/10/gray-matter-attitudes-toward-brain-injuries-changing-with-more-knowledge/