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[entremet]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.sb...-researchers-diagnose-cte-living-patients-nfl

Game changer if this is reproducible and accurate. Still rather early but a big cookie crumb. Crazy that scientific research may destroy the biggest game in the US.

Boston University researchers may have found the key to CTE diagnosis in living patients. Until now, the disease could only be identified through examining brain tissue in deceased patients, so this development has the potential to shift how the disease is viewed and treated.

“The findings in this study are the early steps toward identifying CTE during life,” Dr. Ann McKee, the director of the CTE Center at Boston University, said in a statement released by the university. “Once we can successfully diagnose CTE in living individuals, we will be much closer to discovering treatments for those who suffer from it.”

The key is a specific biomarker:

One thing McKee and her team will work toward is learning whether elevated CCL11 levels indicate early or advanced stages of CTE, as well as whether the amount of CCL11 markers correlates to the severity of the disease.

Developing treatments is a whole other story and is a process that could take a long time. But being able to start moving in that direction is tremendous progress.

 

[Kevyt]

This is awesome, also just in case people don't click on the article:

What is CTE? Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is a disease caused by repeated brain trauma. Concussions can be a factor, but it can also be caused by continued lesser traumas that don’t cause concussions.

CTE can be diagnosed posthumously by examining brain tissue for the presence of abnormal tau proteins in the brain. Tau protein buildup is also associated with Alzheimer’s.

 

[Syder]

Seriously though, this is great news but it'll be interesting to see what it means for sports like American Football.

 

[WedgeX]

I'd be interested in taking this test.

I guess if it can accurately identify CTE, we can start to find out at what point it starts to effect mental and neurological health.

 

[KHarvey16]

I thought it would be a questionnaire that simply asks if you play football. It would have a 98% successful diagnosis rate!

 

[Africanus]

I thought it would be a questionnaire that simply asks if you play football. It would have a 98% successful diagnosis rate!

Do you play football?
>Yes ✔️
>No
Are you more than the water boy?
>Yes ✔️
>No

Result: Evacuate immediately.

 

[Meadows]

NFL be like

 

[Andrew Korenchkin]

Great step in the right direction.

Next step though is to find a way to minimize, reduce, and hopefully, someday, reverse CTE.

 

[GameAddict411]

I wonder how lobbyist are going to try to minimize this research. The NFL won't be happy about this.

 

[low-G]

Ignoring the high school football coach's advances justified

 

[Alienfan]

Good. Hopefully this leads to American Football / Tackle Rugby becoming illegal in schools, especially primary schools.

 

[funkystudent]

(WWE will probably just ignore stuff like this or be super careful about who and how they test it until they are forced to do it like they do with their other medical / drug test stuff)

 

[Brock Reiher]

RIP football

 

[DMczaf]

DBry about to come out of retirement!

 

[Ether_Snake]

Why would it destroy the sport?

People can smoke, but can't get concussions?

 

[wetflame]

Why would it destroy the sport?

People can smoke, but can't get concussions?

People can smoke while playing American Football?

 

[Slo]

Why would it destroy the sport?

People can smoke, but can't get concussions?

Seems like smokers would also like the ability to measure their current lung health.

 

[Ermc_G6]

Also, the dead tend to start fewer class action lawsuits.

If someone can prove in court that playing NFL caused a CTE, that could be a huge financial cost to the league

 

[Demoskinos]

(WWE will probably just ignore stuff like this or be super careful about who and how they test it until they are forced to do it like they do with their other medical / drug test stuff)

They've actually been pretty proactive about this stuff as far as trying to avoid blatant head trauma to performers. Considering you know... the Benoit thing.

Chair shots to the head for instance are and have been banned for years now.

 

[Ermc_G6]

Big picture, I'd love football to come up with a way to play the game without lifelong injury.

I was a huge NFL fan for years, but I can't support the league in good conscience at this time.

Slow the sport down, fewer head on head hits, and they should just do away with punt returns.

 

[Aaronrules380]

Why would it destroy the sport?

People can smoke, but can't get concussions?

I mean, even if no legal action is taken to ban the sport, it's going to (and to an extent already has) damage the sport because parents aren't going to want their kids to play a sport that is almost guaranteed to lead to brain damage, and most parents would stop their kids if they were diagnosed, which will ultimately lead to a much smaller pool of talent. Especially since there are a bunch of other sports that don't have significant, inevitable brain damage as a downside.

 

[killertofu]

I mean, even if no legal action is taken to ban the sport, it's going to (and to an extent already has) damage the sport because parents aren't going to want their kids to play a sport that is almost guaranteed to lead to brain damage, and most parents would stop their kids if they were diagnosed, which will ultimately lead to a much smaller pool of talent. Especially since there are a bunch of other sports that don't have significant, inevitable brain damage as a downside.

Are you sure about that? I kinda think most parents will think it’s bullshit and let their kids play. Johnny has to get that first round draft pick and get paid

 

[hodayathink]

And by the way, this isn't just about American football (even though it's probably the biggest sport affected). Wrestling is definitely going to have a problem. Hockey is definitely going to have a problem. Boxing's decline will get even worse, and MMA will be effected as well. There's a decent chance that Association Football is going to have a problem, too (though not as big as the other sports).

Edit: Almost forgot about the X Games sports like BMX, Skateboarding and MotoX.

 

[entremet]

Are you sure about that? I kinda think most parents will think it's bullshit and let their kids play. Johnny has to get that first round draft pick and get paid

see this:

Also, the dead tend to start fewer class action lawsuits.

If someone can prove in court that playing NFL caused a CTE, that could be a huge financial cost to the league

But if this test comes to fruition and it is accurate, High Schools and the NCAA will start seeing lawsuits first.

 

[Aaronrules380]

Are you sure about that? I kinda think most parents will think it’s bullshit and let their kids play. Johnny has to get that first round draft pick and get paid

I'm pretty sure the number of kids playing football is already decreasing, and that's without the ability to obtain a diagnosis on a living person. And it wouldn't happen immediately, and some parents wouldn't care, but I definitely think it'd happen over time, especially since high school players often show symptoms

 

[CookTrain]

They've actually been pretty proactive about this stuff as far as trying to avoid blatant head trauma to performers. Considering you know... the Benoit thing.

Chair shots to the head for instance are and have been banned for years now.

Conversely... there's Brock Lesnar. Headbutting ringposts and bleeding Randy's head like a stuck pig.

WWE is weird.

That's on top of the rumoured backstage spat that Baron Corbin had with their doctor over the subject.

 

[Anth0ny]

pro wrestling dies

combat sports and football... bad shape

 

[FrenchMovieTheme]

Good. Hopefully this leads to American Football / Tackle Rugby becoming illegal in schools, especially primary schools.

Don't forget making headers in soccer illegal too. And hockey!

 

[hodayathink]

Don't forget making headers in soccer illegal too. And hockey!

People really underestimate how much this is going to effect hockey. Fighting is definitely out, and checking probably goes by the wayside as well.

 

[WedgeX]

Don't forget making headers in soccer illegal too. And hockey!

Headers are how I got at least two concussions.

 

[entremet]

People really underestimate how much this is going to effect hockey. Fighting is definitely out, and checking probably goes by the wayside as well.

Football players are the biggest sample size right now. So this why it's the NFL is in the forefront. It's also the biggest sport in the US.

This is stuff is also rather early. It's a drop in the bucket in terms of scientific research and for a long time, only one guy was seriously working on this.

 

[Orbis Tabula]

And by the way, this isn't just about American football (even though it's probably the biggest sport affected). Wrestling is definitely going to have a problem. Hockey is definitely going to have a problem. Boxing's decline will get even worse, and MMA will be effected as well. There's a decent chance that Association Football is going to have a problem, too (though not as big as the other sports).

Edit: Almost forgot about the X Games sports like BMX, Skateboarding and MotoX.

So, what you're saying is Baseball is back, baby!

 

[Slayven]

Just in time for the NFL strike

 

[hodayathink]

So, what you're saying is Baseball is back, baby!

I hope you didn't like breaking up double plays and collisions at home plate (to be fair, they're getting rid of both of those already).

 

[demosthenes]

People really underestimate how much this is going to effect hockey. Fighting is definitely out, and checking probably goes by the wayside as well.

I've wanted fighting out since I first heard the idea of it. Get rid of it. Checking is more a grey area I think Body checks are fine. You just need to make the penalties for boarding so severe that it makes people avoid it at all costs. Stuff like 25+ games.