SCIENTISTS MAY HAVE FOUND A WAY TO TREAT CHRONIC ENCEPHALOPATHY
IN ATHLETES WHILE THEY ARE STILL ALIVE.
AS OF NOW YOU CAN ONLY MAKE A CTE DIAGNOSIS POSTMORTEM.
IT'S A DEGENERATIVE BRAIN DISEASE THAT AFFECTS MANY
FOOTBALL
PLAYERS WHO HAVE SUSTAINED REPEATED BLOWS TO THE HEAD.
NOW THERE IS A BREAKTHROUGH, POTENTIALLY.
THE LEAD RESEARCHER WAS ALSO
THE CO-AUTHOR OF A STUDY
PUBLISHED ON TUESDAY IN THE JOURNAL PLOS1.
JUST TAKEN THAT NUMBER, 110 OUT OF 111.
THIS
IS MAJOR.
WE ARE
SEEING A PRETTY STRONG CORRELATION BUT THERE IS
MORE RESEARCH LEFT TO BE DONE.
BUT THERE IS STILL A WAYS TO GO.
BRETT, I KNOW YOU ARE A BIG FOOTBALL FAN.
I WAS WONDERING ñ IF THIS STUDY PROVES TRUE WHAT WOULD THIS MEAN
FOR THE NFL?
HOW WOULD THEY RESPOND TO THIS SORT OF SCIENTIFIC DATA?
>>THE NFL HAS A LONG LEGACY OF NOT REALLY RESPONDING TO
SCIENTIFIC DATA AND HAVING THERE BE A LONG GAP WHEN EVERYONE
IS KIND OF LIKE HEY, WE SHOULD LOOK DEEPER INTO THIS.
THE LONG AMOUNT OF TIME IT TOOK TO HAVE THE OFFICIAL CONCUSSION
STUDY REVEALED VERSUS HAVING IT CARRIED OUT ñ
I JUST HOPE PEOPLE ARE NOT JUST SOLELY WAITING FOR THE NFL
TO TAKE THE LEAD ON THIS.
IT JUST SEEMS WHEN YOU SEE THE NUMBERS ñ BEAR IN MIND THAT WAS
NOT A RANDOM SAMPLE, IT WAS PEOPLE WHO HAD BEEN PLAYING IN
THE NFL.
BUT THERE IS ALSO A LARGE OCCURRENCE WITHIN PEOPLE
THAT WERE PLAYING IN COLLEGE, AND KIDS HE PLAYED AT A
MUCH YOUNGER AGE.
ALL OF THE ARROWS SEEM TO BE POINTING IN THIS DIRECTION.
>>BUT ISN'T THAT THE POINT OF THE GAME?
JUST RUN INTO EACH OTHER WITH THEIR HEADS.
BY THE WAY I DON'T WATCH FOOTBALL AT ALL.
>> IT HAS GOTTEN DIFFICULT AT TIMES TO WATCH.
I WATCH THE STANFORD UCLA GAME WHEN THERE WERE THREE CALLS IN A
ROW OF WHAT IS CALLED TARGETING.
WHEN YOU WATCH IT ñ
>>THAT IS WHAT I AM SAYING.
>> THAT IS ILLEGAL.
NO ONE REALLY UNDERSTANDS THE WALL RIGHT NOW IS A PROBLEM
BECAUSE WHAT THEY TELL YOU TO DO IS HIT HIM BELOW, DON'T LEAD
WITH THE CROWN OF YOUR HELMET.
HOWEVER THERE SEEMS TO BE AN INSTINCT WHEN YOU ARE RUNNING
DOWN THE SIDELINES ñ THEY LOWER THEIR HEAD RIGHT BEFORE IMPACT
AND IT CREATES THESE INCIDENTS WERE NO ONE REALLY MEANT TO DO
IT BUT IT IS HARD TO LEGISLATED ON THE FIELD.
>>WHY DO THEY LOWER THEIR HEAD?
IS IT JUST HABIT OR INSTINCT?
>> THEY ARE CHANGING THE RULES NOW SO THEY HAVE TO RETEACH IT.
ALSO WHAT YOU WOULD DO IF YOU HAVE A HELMET.
A LOT OF THESE GUYS BRACE FOR IMPACT.
ONCE YOU BRACE, YOU MAKE A DECISION.
IF YOU GO THE SAME DIRECTION AS THE OTHER GUY, SHIP IS
GOING DOWN.
THAT IS THE CHALLENGE.
CIGARETTES CAUSE LUNG CANCER IF YOU GET INVOLVED TO A
CERTAIN EXTENT, YOU ARE OPTING IN.
CIGARETTES ARE DIFFERENT FROM FOOTBALL BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT
THE ONE WAY OUT OF POVERTY FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE OR A WAY TO CREATE
A COMMUNITY FOR CERTAIN PEOPLE, BUT AT A CERTAIN POINT THIS
NEEDS TO BE THE KIND OF COMMON KNOWLEDGE.
THE OFFICIAL NUMBERS ARE NOT ALL THE WAY IN, BUT ALONG THE WAY WE
MAKE OURSELVES READY AND MAKE HER DECISIONS BASED ON THE
INFORMATION WE HAVE.
IT SEEMS TO IMPLY THAT FOOTBALL IS DANGEROUS.
>> YOU KNOW A LOT ABOUT THIS.
THAT IS IMPRESSIVE.
>> THAT IS THE THING ABOUT BEING A FOOTBALL FAN, YOU
DISCOVER THAT YOU HAVE OPINIONS ABOUT THINGS.
>> ONE OF MY FAVORITE FUN FACTS ABOUT BRETT IS THAT HE
KNOWS A LOT ABOUT FOOTBALL.
>>THIS IS A GOOD DEVELOPMENT IN THE FOOTBALL FIELD.
WHO KNOWS, THERE MIGHT BE WAYS TO MITIGATE IT THAT GO
BEYOND WHAT CAN BE DONE DURING THE GAME.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT WOULD BE, I'M JUST THROWING IT OUT THERE.
THE MORE WE KNOW THE BETTER WE CAN MITIGATE THINGS.
REMEMBER CTE IS KNOWN TO CAUSE SEVERE MOOD SWINGS,
SUICIDAL THOUGHTS, VIOLENT BEHAVIOR.
AROUND THE TIME THAT THE CTE STORY BROKE THE WERE A LOT
OF INSTANCES OF NFL PLAYERS THAT WERE CAUGHT UP IN DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE ISSUES.
IS THAT PLAYING A ROLE?
THAT IS A POSSIBILITY.
MITIGATING THE
EFFECTS OF CTE AND PREVENTING IT IS
SO IMPORTANT.