Steve Kroft examines the state of concussion safety and science in football, especially in the NFL.
Will Smith stars in Concussion, a dramatic thriller based on the incredible true David vs. Goliath story of American immigrant Dr. Bennet Omalu, the brilliant forensic neuropathologist who made the first discovery of CTE, a football-related brain trauma, in a pro player and fought for the truth to be known. Omalu's emotional quest puts him at dangerous odds with one of the most powerful institutions in the world
Not all football players develope CTE. How can we tell who's at risk?
There has been an increasing awareness of the long-term neuropsychiatric pathologies associated with repeated mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and specifically sports-related concussive and subconcussive head impacts. While mTBI had been associated with diffusion tensor imaging evidence of diffusivity changes in soccer, American football, and hockey players, the mechanisms underlying the development of post-mTBI neurodegenerative complications are poorly understood. Accumulating evidence points to vascular pathology and dysfunction of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) as a potential link between severe TBI and neurodegeneration. Moreover, participation in American football has been associated with changes in blood proteins reflecting BBB leakage. Thus, here we set out to visualize the extent and location of BBB dysfunction in football players using dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI)
