New study on how concussion affects athletes' brains

2muchcoffeeman · Jan 28, 2009

... and, it goes without saying, everybody else's brains. (Possible column/feature fodder for somebody?)

The summary: Concussions are not invisible, innocuous injuries, as had been thought up until this point. They cause immediate brain damage and the effects are cumulative.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/01/26/athlete.brains/index.html

CSTE studies reveal brown tangles flecked throughout the brain tissue of former NFL players who died young -- some as early as their 30s or 40s.

McKee, who also studies Alzheimer's disease, says the tangles closely resemble what might be found in the brain of an 80-year-old with dementia.

"I knew what traumatic brain disease looked like in the very end stages, in the most severe cases," said McKee. "To see the kind of changes we're seeing in 45-year-olds is basically unheard of."

The damage affects the parts of the brain that control emotion, rage, hypersexuality, even breathing, and recent studies find that CTE is a progressive disease that eventually kills brain cells.
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The Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy, along with other research institutions, has now identified traumatic encephalopathy in the brains of late NFL football players John Grimsley, Mike Webster, Andre Waters, Justin Strzelczyk and Terry Long, in addition to McHale.

Grimsley died of an accidental gunshot wound to the chest. Webster, Long and Strzelczyk all died after long bouts of depression, while Waters committed suicide in 2006 at age 44. McHale was found dead last year of an apparent drug overdose.

"Guys were dying," said Nowinski. "The fact of the matter was guys were dying because they played sports 10 or 20 years before."

So far, around 100 athletes have consented to have their brains studied after they die.

Ted Johnson was one of the first to sign up. He said he believes that concussions he suffered while playing football explain the anger, depression and throbbing headaches that occasionally still plague him.

Johnson said he played through concussions because he, like many other NFL athletes, did not understand the consequences. He has publicly criticized the NFL for not protecting players like him.

"They don't want you to know," said Johnson. "It's not like when you get into the NFL there's a handout that says 'These are the effects of multiple concussions so beware.' "
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Diabeetus · Jan 28, 2009

http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/66233/

2muchcoffeeman · Jan 28, 2009

Well, shit. Fail of the search function.

Could somemoddy assassinate this thread, please? Thanks.

Rough Mix · Jan 28, 2009

It's OK.

Those of us (such as this poster) who have suffered multiple concussions need a reminder sometimes 8)

2muchcoffeeman · Jan 28, 2009

Rough Mix said:

It's OK.

Those of us who have suffered multiple concussions need a reminder sometimes 8)
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Two. One in football and one when my bicycle got hit by a motorcycle in eighth grade. :-\

Rough Mix · Jan 28, 2009

Sadly, got you beat.

2muchcoffeeman · Jan 28, 2009

Holy shit. Sorry to hear/read that.

Rough Mix · Jan 28, 2009

It's Ok. Not a big deal

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