New Study Links Contact Sports to Brain Damage, CTE Risk
A new study reveals alarming links between contact sports and brain damage. The research, led by Dr. Ann McKee, shows that former contact sport athletes have more brain damage, including inflammation and fewer neurons, than those without a history of head trauma.
The study found that the longer test persons had played football actively, the more inflammatory microglia they had in their brains. Repeated head impacts can lead to chronic brain inflammation and neuron death, resulting in the neurodegenerative dementia disease CTE. Athletes had 56 percent fewer neurons, especially in layers 2 and 3 of the cerebral cortex, which are exposed to high mechanical stresses during head impacts.
Multiple head injuries in quick succession can prevent the brain from fully recovering, leading to chronic inflammation. This inflammation can cause cognitive, motor, and behavioral impairments that worsen over time. Microglia and endothelial cells communicate with each other, potentially causing inflammation, damage to blood vessels, and neurons. Tau proteins are thought to be a factor in CTE, but there's no way to diagnose them in living patients.
The study underscores the need for better protection and recovery time for young athletes involved in contact sports like American football, soccer, ice hockey, rugby, or boxing. To protect against brain damage, young athletes should avoid head and frontal impacts and pause after head injuries to allow recovery. Further research is needed to understand the full extent of CTE and develop diagnostic tools for living patients.
