Deaths and premature ageing in some - brain donation sought.
September 25th 2008 21:57
Signature Tune
Bruce Dowbiggin, Calgary Herald
Published: Thursday, September 25, 2008
It sounds like a punchline. A dozen athletes are leaving their brains to science. But the reality behind the story is deadly serious.
A recent story in the New York Times reports a dozen athletes -- including six NFL players and one NHL player (Noah Welch) -- have promised to donate their brains post mortem to Boston University's new centre studying the effects of concussions on brain health. The Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy hopes to shed some light on the long-term effects experienced by athletes in collision sports such as football, hockey and even soccer.
The issue of the cognitive impairment caused by playing these sports has received much publicity as the science progresses. Most recently, here in Calgary, Stampeders quarterback Dave Dickenson admitted the cumulative effect of his concussions would likely bring his career to an end. Across the NHL, there are many players dealing with post-concussion syndrome. Some -- such as Eric Lindros, Scott Stevens, Pat LaFontaine, Nick Kypreos --were forced to retire.
In the NFL, recent autopsies on the brains of players such as John Grimsley and Andre Waters, who died prematurely, show results that seem to show the neurofibrillary tangles that affect behaviour and memory. These tangles and other symptoms -- commonly associated with early-onset Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease -- are ones that can only be detected by autopsies; MRI and ultrasound cannot reveal any damage
"The concern I have with long-term concussion effects is, is there any higher rate of Parkinson's or Alzheimer's?" says Dickenson, who joined the Stamps in 1996. "I honestly think, as players, we're in a series of mini-car wrecks each week.''
"It's a tough game on the body," says Dickenson. "But I don't think it's going to stop anyone doing what we do. There's still a big reward for what we do."
"Good on those athletes who are donating," says Stampeders physical therapist Pat Clayton. "Any studies will benefit not just athletes, but the population in general. I admire these guys if they're stepping forward to say we're willing to be part of the science."
There is still debate about that cause-and-effect of concussion on the long-term prognosis for athletes.
The NHL continues to study data -- even as it allows targeting the head via punches and checks. The NFL says that while it recognizes the problem, it cites the thousands who have played football with no discernible damage. Soccer has, in some cases, outlawed heading the ball in athletes younger than puberty while it clarifies its research.
But Clayton says it's getting harder not to make the connection.
"When you take a look at the mortality rates in athletes, it's very high at an early age," Clayton said Tuesday. "It's skewed much different from the population. The newest studies done are on athletes who died and the reasons for their deaths, and much of it was attributed to concussion-type data. From a variety of sports. Soccer, football, rugby."
And so the search for reliable data and better ways to protect.
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