Plus: BMX Legend Afflicted; Soccer & Rugby Next
“Walter Peat, 64, the head saw filer at a sawmill here in the suburbs of Vancouver, worries every day about the son he barely recognizes. He worries mostly that Stephen will be another N.H.L. enforcer dead before turning 50. The list, just since 2010, includes Bob Probert, Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien, Wade Belak, Steve Montador and Todd Ewen,” the New York Times reports.
“The Peats cannot be sure, but they presume that Stephen’s problems are rooted in concussions. Perhaps, like several of the dead enforcers and roughly 100 former N.F.L. players, one day he will be found to have chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the degenerative brain disease caused by repeated blows to the head.
“For now, it cannot be accurately diagnosed until death, but Peat and his father worry that he has it. The symptoms often associated with C.T.E. – memory loss, depression, impulsiveness, addiction, headaches – are part of Stephen Peat’s daily life.”
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Study: Concussions In Kids Vastly Undercounted
“New research confirms that relying on emergency room data to estimate the prevalence of childhood concussions doesn’t deliver a complete picture because most seek treatment in primary care.”
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BMX Legend Diagnosed With CTE Postmortem
“Last week, ESPN reported that freestyle BMX legend Dave Mirra had been diagnosed with CTE, the same neurodegenerative disease found in a number of boxers and football players,” WMDT-TV notes.
“Mirra died in February, at age 41, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
“Like dementia, CTE can currently only be diagnosed with 100% accuracy after someone has died. Mirra is the first so-called action sports athlete diagnosed with the disease.”
– What Does It Mean For BMX?
– Are We A Ticking Time Bomb?
– Tony Hawk: ‘It’s Absolutely A Concern.’
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Concussion Group Says Ex-NFL Player Bubba Smith Had CTE
“Former NFL defensive end Bubba Smith was diagnosed with the brain disease CTE by researchers after his death, the Concussion Legacy Foundation said Monday,” AP reports.
“Smith died in 2011 at 66. He is one of 90 former NFL players diagnosed with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy since 2008 at a brain bank affiliated with Veteran Affairs, Boston University and the foundation. Out of four stages of the disease, the foundation says Smith had stage 3 CTE.”
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Is Soccer Facing An NFL-Style Concussion Crisis?
“The near future of soccer looks set to involve a repeat of the ongoing brain trauma crisis in American football,” Vocativ reports.
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Rugby, Too
“Former England internationals will be involved in a major new study looking at the potential effects of concussion on brain health,” PA Sport reports.
“The study will involve approximately 200 former players over the age of 50 and will include a number of former England internationals, the Rugby Football Union has announced.”
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Diagnosing CTE In The Living: Massive Study Of Degenerative Brain Disease To Begin
“About 50 medical researchers from around the country converged on Boston Wednesday, as they prepare to launch a massive seven-year study into the brain disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, in July,” WBUR reports.
“CTE is a degenerative disease similar to Alzheimer’s. It’s only found in people who’ve played football, boxed or taken part in other contact sports.
“The researchers are recruiting 180 former NFL and college football players in order to study their brains. The goal is to develop ways to diagnose CTE in people while they’re alive. The only way to diagnose it right now is by studying the brain after death.”
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Previously:
* Bob Probert’s Broken Brain.
* NFL Players Killing Themselves Because They Miss Football So Much.
* The College Football Report: Dementia Pugilistica.
* Blackhawks Playing Head Games.
* Jay Cutler Should Consider Retiring.
* Dislike: Friday Night Tykes.
* Hurt And Be Hurt: The Lessons Of Youth Sports.
* Chicago Soccer Player Patrick Grange Had CTE.
* Sony Softened Concussion To Placate NFL.
* Ultra-Realistic Madden To Simulate Game’s Debilitating Concussions.
* Dear Football: I’m Breaking Up With You.
* Dead College Football Player’s Brain Leaves Clues Of Concussions’ Toll On Brain.
* More Bad Concussion News For Young Football Players.
* NFL Tried To Fix Concussion Study.
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Comments welcome.
Posted on June 2, 2016