Scientists have found “profound abnormalities” in scans of brain activity in a group of retired football players, adding to evidence indicating that repeated blows to the head can trigger longer-term aggression and dementia.
Although the former NFL players in the study were not diagnosed with any neurological conditions, brain-imaging tests showed unusual activity that correlated with the number of times they had left the field with a head injury.
Adam Hampshire at Imperial College London, who led the study, said the ex-NFL players showed “some of the most pronounced abnormalities in brain activity” he had ever seen.
A growing body of scientific research shows that repeated knocks to the head can lead to a condition known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which can lead to loss of decision-making control, aggression and dementia.
These latest findings, published in the Nature journal Scientific Reports, suggest players also face a risk of subtle neurological deficits that would not necessarily show up on normal clinical tests.
John Hardy at University College London’s Institute of Neurology said the findings showed what he and others have long suspected — that common dysfunctional behavior among former sportsmen such as footballers and boxers is related to sub-clinical brain injuries.
Hampshire’s study involved 13 former NFL professionals who felt they were suffering brain problems affecting everyday life.
While their brain activity was measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging, the former players and 60 healthy volunteers were given a test that involved rearranging colored balls in tubes.
The NFL group performed worse on the test than the healthy volunteers, but the difference was modest, according to Hampshire and colleagues at the University of Western Ontario, Canada, who collaborated on the study.
However, the scans showed unusual patterns of brain activity in the frontal lobe.
Hampshire said that levels of brain abnormality seen in the ex-players correlated strongly with the number of head impacts they had suffered that were severe enough to warrant them being taken out of play.
“This means that it is highly likely that damage caused by blows to the head accumulate towards an executive impairment in later life,” he said.
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was