'Profound abnormalities’ in American footballers’ brains: study
Scientists at Imperial College London find unusual activity in the frontal lobe after carrying out a cognitive test on former NFL players
Scans have revealed “profound abnormalities” in the brain activity of retired American football players, a study into the long-term risks of the combative sport said on Thursday.
Unusual activity in the frontal lobe, observed in former National Football League (NFL) players as they carried out a cognitive test, matched records for heavy blows they had received to the head while on the field.
“The NFL alumni showed some of the most pronounced abnormalities in brain activity that I have ever seen,” said lead author Adam Hampshire, a neuroscientist at Imperial College London.
“[The] level of brain abnormality correlates strongly with the measure of head impacts of great enough severity to warrant being taken out of play. It is highly likely that damage caused by blows to the head accumulate towards an executive impairment in later life.”
NFL games have come under growing scrutiny for what critics say is a dangerous rate of concussions after hard blows to the head.
Some have drawn links between the onfield physical traumas and later neurological problems such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, which in turn have been blamed for depression and suicide.