Print Edition
TT On-The-Go
TT Feed
| Athletes rally for concussion research |
|
 |
 |
 |
Font Size 
|
Multithumb found errors on this page: There was a problem loading image C:\wamp\www\images/stories/08_athletes.jpg More than 500 current and former U.S. athletes have agreed to donate their brains to research – a gift they hope will protect future athletes from a progressive brain disease linked to concussions. Former Buffalo Sabre Rick Martin, who died from a heart attack in March at age 59, is the latest professional athlete to be diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)– a condition brought on by repeated head trauma with features of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Lou Gehrig's disease. Although he had no symptoms, Martin's brain showed tell-tale signs of damage that researchers say would have led to dementia, impulsivity and rage. "He had relatively mild CTE," said Dr. Ann Mckee, director of neuropathology at the Bedford VA Medical Center and co-director of Boston University's Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy, where Martin's brain was studied. "At the age of 59, although he had some evidence of this neurodegeneration, it wasn't terribly advanced." Martin's is one of 96 athlete brains already received by the VA Brain Bank. Of 70 analyzed, more than 50 have shown signs of CTE, including those from 14 of 15 former National Football League players. But most of the athlete brains at the VA Brain Bank show signs of more severe disease. Like Alzheimer's disease, CTE has stages dictated by the amount and distribution of an abnormal protein called tau in the brain. In the early stages, the protein tends to cluster around blood vessels, later spreading to other "hotspots" in the brain involved in memory, movement and personality. (Source: abcnews.go)    Socialize this Subscribe to our RSS feed to stay in touch and receive all of TT updates right in your feed reader
|