Study Warns: Repeated Head Injuries in Sports Linked to Brain Damage
A recent study warns of the long-term risks of head injuries in contact sports. Young athletes should avoid repeated impacts and take breaks to protect against potential brain damage and early symptoms of CTE.
Researchers found that repeated head impacts can lead to chronic brain inflammation and eventually to CTE, a rare form of dementia affecting young contact sport athletes. The longer athletes played football, the more inflammatory microglia they had in their brains.
A study of 28 men involved in contact sports revealed more damage to blood vessels, stronger inflammation, more damaged synapses, and fewer neurons in athletes with a history of head trauma. Notably, athletes had 56 percent fewer neurons in layers 2 and 3 of the cerebral cortex, which are exposed to high mechanical stresses during impacts and crucial for mood and stress processing.
Multiple head injuries in quick succession can reactivate an already inflamed system, preventing the brain from fully recovering and leading to chronic inflammation. CTE symptoms include cognitive and motor impairments, behavioral changes, and are triggered by tau proteins that clump together and deposit in certain brain regions.
The research team urges a reduction in head impacts at all levels of contact sports, including youth, school, and college teams. Young athletes should avoid head and frontal impacts and take breaks after head injuries to allow their brains to recover, protecting against potential brain damage and early symptoms of CTE.
