Alarming new BU study shows impacts, not just concussions, lead to brain disease

Results could change protocols for head injuries at NFL, college sports

Results could change protocols for head injuries at NFL, college sports

WEBVTT YOU'RE WATCHING NEWSCENTER 5AT 5:00.BEN: YOUR HEALTH TONIGHT.A NEW STUDY FROM BOSTONUNIVERSITY FINDS DEGENERATIVEBRAIN DISEASE IS CAUSED BY HITSATHLETES TAKE, NOT JUSTCONCUSSIONS.EMILY, YOU TALKED TO THE LEADINVESTIGATOR ON THIS.EMILY: THIS IS PRETTY BIG.WHAT THEY FOUND IS THAT CTE CANDEVELOP AFTER JUST ONE HIT, EVENIF THERE IS NO CONCUSSION, WHICHIS DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE KNOWRIGHT NOW.IN FACT, IT CAN HAPPEN AS EARLYAS THE TEENAGE YEARS.WE KNOW CTE, CHRONIC TRAUMATICENCEPHALOPATHY, PRIMARILY AS ITRELATES TO THE NFL AND FORMERPLAYERS BEING DIAGNOSED.IT'S MARKED BY DIFFICULTYTHINKING, MEMORY LOSS, IMPULSIVEBEHAVIOR.WE THOUGHT CONCUSSIONS LED TOTHE DISEASE, SO THAT IS WHERETHE FOCUS HAS BEEN.BUT DR. LEE GOLDSTEIN SAYS THEIRSTUDY SHOWS THE VAST MAJORITY OFHITS ARE NOT CONCUSSIVE, YETBUT THEY ARE STILL DANGEROUS.SO TO FOCUS JUST ON CONCUSSIONSAS A PREVENTION MECHANISM COULDBE A MISTAKE.BEN: SO THE NEXT QUESTION ISWHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE A PARENT?YOU WANT TO PROTECT YOUR KIDS.DO YOU SAY NONE OF THESEAGGRESSIVE SPORTS?EMILY: WE ASKED DR. GOLDSTEINTHAT.HE SAYS WHEN IT COMES TO KIDS WEMAY WANT TO RETHINK HOW CERTAINGAMES ARE PLAYED.TAKE A LISTEN TO WHAT HE SAID.>> IT IS POSSIBLE TO PLAY HOCKEYWITHOUT HEAD HITS.IT IS POSSIBLE TO PLAY FOOTBALLWITHOUT HEAD HITS.THERE IS FLAG FOOTBALL.THERE ARE OTHER WAYS TO ENGGEIN THE SPORT WITHOUT EXPOSINGTHESE KIDS TO POTENTIAL DANGERSTHAT BECOME A LIFELONG DISEASE.EMILY: AVOIDING HEAD INJURY.THAT IS THE BOTTOM LINE.AVOID THE HITS ANYWAY THAT YOUCAN.AT THE VERY LEAST, THEY AREHOPING THIS STARTS ACONVERSATION.BEN: WHAT IS SCARY ABOUT THIS ISIT MADE CTE MORE TERRIFYINGBECAUSE YOU THINK AS A PARENT,OK, MAYBE MY KID JUST FELT ANDTOOK A HIT TO THE HEAD BUT THEREIS NO CONCUSSION SO I AM IN THECLEAR.NOW WE ARE SAYING THAT IS NOTTHE CASE.EMILY: THE RESEARCHER ISCONCERNED ABOUT THE FALSE SENSEOF SECURITY THAT MAY HAVE BEENOUT THERE.

Alarming new BU study shows impacts, not just concussions, lead to brain disease

Results could change protocols for head injuries at NFL, college sports

Researchers at the Boston University School of Medicine released a new study Thursday that shows how hits to the head, not just concussions, cause degenerative brain disease.The results could affect every athlete playing an impact sport. The study, published in the journal Brain, also raises new concerns for players in the National Football League. Until now, the focus was on any concussions they received. Experts believed those concussions led to a buildup of protein on blood vessels in the brain, causing chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE.But with these new findings, lead author Dr. Lee Goldstein said, there's now scientific proof that experts have been focused on the wrong thing."This disease and the injuries associated with it, that precede it, are triggered not by the signs and symptoms that we see with someone that's having a concussion," Goldstein said. "And what this means is, practically, someone who has been hit and hurt may not show the signs that will bring help."Goldstein is concerned about athletes or parents of athletes who may develop a false sense of security about the CTE risk for players who've never been diagnosed with a concussion.He said experts need to pay attention to the hits that an athlete takes in order to understand how to prevent brain trauma and disease.Click here to read the study.

BOSTON —

Researchers at the Boston University School of Medicine released a new study Thursday that shows how hits to the head, not just concussions, cause degenerative brain disease.

The results could affect every athlete playing an impact sport.

The study, published in the journal Brain, also raises new concerns for players in the National Football League. Until now, the focus was on any concussions they received. Experts believed those concussions led to a buildup of protein on blood vessels in the brain, causing chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE.

But with these new findings, lead author Dr. Lee Goldstein said, there's now scientific proof that experts have been focused on the wrong thing.

"This disease and the injuries associated with it, that precede it, are triggered not by the signs and symptoms that we see with someone that's having a concussion," Goldstein said. "And what this means is, practically, someone who has been hit and hurt may not show the signs that will bring help."

Goldstein is concerned about athletes or parents of athletes who may develop a false sense of security about the CTE risk for players who've never been diagnosed with a concussion.

He said experts need to pay attention to the hits that an athlete takes in order to understand how to prevent brain trauma and disease.

Click here to read the study.

Alarming new BU study shows impacts, not just concussions, lead to brain disease

Results could change protocols for head injuries at NFL, college sports

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