Episode 5: The Neuroscience of Traumatic Brain Injuries and America's Favorite Pastime

Neuroscience: Amateur Hour

It's a common sight on Sunday afternoon. The snacks are gathered. The couch cushions are plumped. The beer is cold. Across the screen, twenty-two people in tight white pants and polished helmets trot across the screen. But behind the shiny exterior of football, America's favorite pastime, lies a dark secret - chronic traumatic encephalopathy (a word I am incapable of pronouncing). A neurodegenerative disease characterized by psychological, behavioral, and cognitive changes, CTE and repeated head trauma has been linked to rage behaviors and increased aggression. In fact, Aaron Hernandez, a former NFL player was posthumously diagnosed with advanced CTE, potentially providing a "why" for his brutal murder of Odin Llyod.
If you have any comments, questions, concerns, queries, or complaints, please email me at [e-mail] or DM me at @NeuroscienceAmateurHour on Instagram. Citations and relevant papers below:
NFL Helmet Challenge Raises the Bar for Helmet Technology and Performance, Awards $1.55 Million in Grant Funding to Help New Models Get on Field Faster. NFL.com. https://www.nfl.com/playerhealthandsafety/equipment-and-innovation/innovation-challenges/nfl-helmet-challenge-raises-the-bar-for-helmet-technology-and-performance-awards Published 2021.

Built By Data: NFL Helmet Innovation. NFL.com. https://www.nfl.com/playerhealthandsafety/equipment-and-innovation/engineering-technology/built-by-data-nfl-helmet-innovation. Published 2021.

Heintz E, Breaux L, Lewis A, Foreman J. Determinants of Missed Games Following Concussions in the National Football League. Front Sports Act Living. 2020;2. doi:10.3389/fspor.2020.595445

Tator C. Concussions and their consequences: current diagnosis, management and prevention. Can Med Assoc J. 2013;185(11):975-979. doi:10.1503/cmaj.120039

Mez J, Daneshvar D, Kiernan P et al. Clinicopathological Evaluation of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy in Players of American Football. JAMA. 2017;318(4):360. doi:10.1001/jama.2017.8334

McKee A, Stein T, Kiernan P, Alvarez V. The Neuropathology of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. Brain Pathology. 2015;25(3):350-364. doi:10.1111/bpa.12248

Asken B, Sullan M, DeKosky S, Jaffee M, Bauer R. Research Gaps and Controversies in Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. JAMA Neurol. 2017;74(10):1255. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2017.2396

Turner R, Lucke-Wold B, Robson M, Lee J, Bailes J. Alzheimer’s disease and chronic traumatic encephalopathy: Distinct but possibly overlapping disease entities. Brain Inj. 2016;30(11):1279-1292. doi:10.1080/02699052.2016.1193631

Giza C, Hovda D. The New Neurometabolic Cascade of Concussion. Neurosurgery. 2014;75:S24-S33. doi:10.1227/neu.0000000000000505

Haislop T. Aaron Hernandez timeline: From murders and trials to prison suicide. Sportingnews.com. https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/aaron-hernandez-timeline-murders-trials-prison-suicide/1886y82a8bgyx123qxcgg04lb5. Published 2020.

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