Specifics of Concussive Brain Damage Revealed in Study of Former NFL Players

Using a series of imaging and cognitive tests, researchers from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine gathered evidence of accumulated brain damage that could be linked to specific memory deficits in former NFL players, experienced decades after they stopped playing football. Results of the small study, which used nine former players, provide further evidence for potential long-term neurological risks to football players who sustain repeated concussions. “We’re hoping that our findings are going to further inform the game,” said a Johns Hopkins University psychiatry professor. “That may mean individuals are able to make more educated decisions about whether they’re susceptible to brain injury, advise how helmets are structured or inform guidelines for the game to better protect players.”

During the study, researchers used tests to directly detect deficits and to quantify localized molecular differences between the brains of former players and healthy people who didn’t play football. Results from the control volunteers’ tests showed no evidence of brain damage or structural abnormalities. However, PET scans of the group of former NFL players showed that on average, they had evidence of brain injury in several temporal medial lobe regions, including the amygdala — a region that plays a significant role in mood regulation. Imaging tests also identified injuries in many players’ supramarginal gyrus, an area linked to verbal memory. Additionally, MRIs of the former players showed atrophy of the right-side hippocampus, suggesting the region may have shrunk in size due to previous damage. If these findings are seen in future studies with larger numbers of participants, molecular brain imaging techniques used in the current study could eventually lead to changes in the way players are treated after experiencing concussion, or how contact sports are played. To read more about this study, click here.