New Research Suggests That Cumulative Force Of Head Blows, Not The Frequency Of Hits, Is A Better Predictor Of CTE

JustLife - stock.adobe.com-  illustrative purposes only, not the actual person
JustLife - stock.adobe.com- illustrative purposes only, not the actual person

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) has increasingly concerned everyone, from scientists and physicians to sports fans and parents of young athletes. The progressive and fatal brain disease, which is associated with repeated TBIs, or traumatic brain injuries, has even led some professional high-contact sports leagues– such as the NFL– to alter their game rules.

But, for years, researchers studying CTE thought that the primary factor was repeated blows to the head– regardless of whether those hits resulted in concussions. Scientists believed that people who more frequently experienced head hits were more likely to develop cognitive and neurological issues later in life.

Well, new research conducted in collaboration between researchers from Boston University, Harvard Medical School, and Mass General Brigham has suggested otherwise.

The study used brains donated to Boston University’s UNITE Brain Bank and discovered that the “cumulative force” of thousands of blows to the head was the most distinct indicator of what could result in a person suffering from brain disease later on in life– not the volume of concussions experienced.

This research, published in Nature Communications, represents the largest study effort to date and set out to examine the root causes of CTE, which has been linked to everything from impulsive behavior and memory loss to depression.

The team used data collected from 34 past studies that tracked hits to the head measured by sensors located inside players’ football helmets. Then, in the new study, the scientists could actually see how the brains of 631 former football players were impacted.

The most severe forms of CTE were present in football players who had experienced the greatest cumulative force in terms of blows to the head. In other words, players who were hit often and hard, usually holding field positions of wide receiver, running back, or defensive back.

Right now, CTE can only be definitively diagnosed postmortem. Jesse Mez, a senior author of the study, detailed how this research allowed the team to uncover a better predictor of CTE development later in life.

“Previously, we have shown that there is a dose-response relationship between years of football play and risk for CTE. Our new study extends this finding by projecting football helmet sensor data obtained from living players onto our brain donors based on their duration, level, and position of play,” Mez began.

JustLife – stock.adobe.com- illustrative purposes only, not the actual person

“For each brain donor, we generated an estimated cumulative force (termed cumulative head impact index-g force or CHII-G) of impacts experienced over the course of their football career. We showed that the estimated cumulative force is a better predictor of CTE pathology and CTE severity than using years of play or cumulative hit count.”

The researchers were able to measure the force of the head hits by averaging the number of hits and force experienced by football players who wore helmet sensors. These measurements were also stratified by the level and position of each player over the course of one season.

Mez claimed that any additional changes that work to reduce the number of head blows, as well as their force, could be beneficial. This may include athletes beginning to play football at an older age, participating in fewer games, and reducing drills in practice that encourage hard hits or tackles.

According to Mez, it has also been clearly demonstrated that CTE is caused by repetitive head hits in football. While there is a lack of research on other contact sports, there is a growing body of evidence suggesting that similar relationships do exist.

“Sports like ice hockey, boxing, MMA, rugby, and soccer need systematic investigations, as well,” Mez concluded.

“I’m hopeful that leagues and coaches take notice. For at least some of these sports, changes could substantially improve long-term neurodegenerative outcomes without dramatically changing the nature of the sport.”

To read the study’s complete findings, visit the link here.

If true crime defines your free time, this is for you: join Chip Chick’s True Crime Tribe

She Disappeared While Hitchhiking In Prince George 21 Years Ago, And She Was Last Seen At A Gas Station

She’s The Woman Who Invented The Original Chocolate Chip Cookie

Adding A Fresh Coat of Paint To Your Kitchen Cabinets Can Do Wonders In Transforming Your Space, And Here’s How You Can Paint Them Without Hiring A Pro

Her Boyfriend Told His Son In Front of Her That She No Longer Wants To Take Care of Him, And The Little Boy Started Crying

His Wife Is Furious He Didn’t Take The Blame When She Passed Gas At A Dinner Party With Their Friends

She Went On Vacation With Her Husband’s Family, And After They Excluded Her From Going Out To Dinner With Them, She Flew Home

Her Dog Went Missing While She Was Out of Town, And After Her Husband Started Acting Suspiciously, She Snooped Through His Dashcam Footage And Caught Him Dumping Her Dog In A Field Far Away From Home

Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.

Katharina Buczek graduated from Stony Brook University with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Digital Arts. Specializing ... More about Katharina Buczek
Mentioned In This Article:

More About: