Brain injury found in 99 percent of donated brains of NFL players in new study

The Verge.com ^ | 7/25/2017 | Angela Chen

[1Old Pro]

Brain damage was diagnosed in 87 percent of donated brains of 202 football players, including all but one of 111 brains of National Football League athletes.

This new study, published today in the journal JAMA, is the latest linking dangerous head injuries to football, though the authors note that the true risk may be lower than the results suggest.

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, is the term for brain damage that occurs after repeated blunt impact, like head tackles in football. Previous research has shown that CTE is linked to — among other things — memory loss, depression, and dementia, and in recent years it has become a point of controversy within football.

[IrishBrigade]

Flag football gives all three of those elements...but would need to be tweaked so as not to be guys in gym shorts lining up...

Eliminating the three point stance would be a good beginning; make linemen contact from standing position; get rid of kickoff and punt returns; no defensive contact above the chest or below the knees (except for ankle grabs)...any number of things could be done...

[rlmorel]

This is language from the discussion section of the paper on the "study":

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"...First, a major limitation is ascertainment bias associated with participation in this brain donation program. Although the criteria for participation were based on exposure to repetitive head trauma rather than on clinical signs of brain trauma, public awareness of a possible link between repetitive head trauma and CTE may have motivated players and their families with symptoms and signs of brain injury to participate in this research. Therefore, caution must be used in interpreting the high frequency of CTE in this sample, and estimates of prevalence cannot be concluded or implied from this sample....
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Nice disclaimer. It is the equivalent of throwing packets of heroin to a clamoring crowd of junkies, then saying in a monotone "You really shouldn't use this heroin, we didn't check it, it could be pure and kill you, or it could be common baking soda..."

They WANT people to take this and run with it. The disclaimer just applies a veneer of responsibility and impartiality. It is nothing of the sort. They people throwing packets of something that could be heroin to a bunch of junkies know they are going to inject it into their veins, and the same mindset applies to the authors of this paper throwing it to an ignorant mob who they know are going to disseminate it as if it were the God's truth.

And furthermore, if you gave them truth serum, they would smile and say: "Yes, we know it is wrong to mislead people. But it is for a good cause...

Now, Gee whiz. Who does that sound like? Sure doesn't sound like speech from people who think Ronald Reagan is a swell guy. Sounds more like the people who think Saul Alinsky is a swell guy.

[OttawaFreeper]

I’ve said the same thing about the NHL. If I had my way, that league would randomly select two or three games (it could be a Saturday night marquee tilt between the Leafs and Canadiens or a weeknight one between Arizona and Dallas). Only 1970s sized shoulder and elbow pads would be permitted and three players on each side would be allowed a selection of a 1972 CCM helmet (Paul Henderson style) or 1975 Cooper (Billy Harris or Steve Shutt) or 1984 Jofa 235 (Wayne Gretzky). Everyone else (including the referees and linesmen) would not be wearing helmets or shields. I’d like to see if the players would then be so interested in slamming someone head or face first into the boards or glass or clothesline them with an elbow and get the stick into it as well (probably not very likely).

[mewzilla]

Thinking of anti-lock brakes, traction, stability control enabling people who don’t understand them to drive like loons, leather helmets might be a good idea.

[mewzilla]

Thanks!

...were based on exposure to repetitive head trauma rather than on clinical signs of brain trauma...

So how the heck was exposure to "head trauma" quantified? By whom? Players, doctors, family members? And what exactly constitutes head trauma ? Every bump on the head? Concussions only?

[Alberta's Child]

I'd say helmets and shields are absolutely necessary in hockey ... and I say that as someone who plays the game. They provide protection against injuries without encouraging the player to be reckless during the course of play.

I agree about the shoulder and elbow pads, though. I also think the NHL should require players to use wooden sticks. One of the biggest factors in the increased size and strength of padding in hockey has been the increased exposure to injury from players shooting pucks harder than ever before.

[Alberta's Child]

It’s a complicated subject for a clinical test because head injuries aren’t all the same. Football helmets were originally designed to protect against skull fractures, which are impact injuries to the head. A concussion, on the other hand, is caused by sudden, rapid movements of the head ... which aren’t necessarily prevented by enhanced head protection.

[nickcarraway]

Have they done tests on any other sport?

[OttawaFreeper]

“One of the biggest factors in the increased size and strength of padding in hockey has been the increased exposure to injury from players shooting pucks harder than ever before.”

Can you imagine a goalie going into an NHL game today wearing a 1970s molded mask? Mind you, those began to fall out of favour when Bernie Parent nearly lost an eye due to an errant stick catching him in the wrong place at the wrong time, but still, lol.

[dfwgator]

Best mask, ever.

[crosdaddy]

Ernie Higgen’s mask, I had one, full head coverage. Was a far cry from what I started playing with, but it would still ring your bell when hit hard, just keep me from getting cut, unlike my early masks.

[OttawaFreeper]

Agreed. And as a young kid I even got to watch on TV one of the last games he played in 1980 (Saturday night at Montreal Forum complete with big fight midway through game).

Also liked Gilles Gratton’s “Leo the Lion” mask he wore with the New York Rangers in 1976, Doug Favell’s Leafs one, and Parent’s Philadelphia Blazers (his one season in the WHA in 1972-73).

[petitfour]

and what of combat veterans? What percentage of combat veteran donated brains have brain injuries?

And what of motorcycle rider brains? And democrats? And joggers? And teachers? Etc.

[9YearLurker]

Male athletes tend to be below average in intelligence.

It’s actually the opposite for female athletes.

[OttawaFreeper]

I can remember reading an interview with Joe Daley in which he said that by about 1973, he finally gave in (as he was one of the last maskless goalies at the pro level with Winnipeg of the WHA) and had Ernie make his mask. He said that not long after he began wearing it, he took a shot right dead on (slapshot from one of the recent Swedish imports Anders Hedberg or Ulf Nilsson) and he figured he probably would have been killed had he not been wearing it, lol.