Researchers have recruited 50 veterans of the National Football League (NFL) to undergo different MRI techniques to determine the long-term effects of repeated hits to the head.
Led by Dr. Randall Benson, medical director of the Center for Neurological Studies in Novi, MI, and E. Mark Haacke, PhD, a radiology and biomedical engineering researcher at Detroit Medical Center (DMC), the study will use susceptibility-weighted imaging, diffusion tensor imaging, MR spectroscopy, and perfusion-weighted imaging on the former athletes.
Benson said the study will use the MRI techniques to correlate any current cognitive or behavioral problems with the number of concussions each player has had, along with his position on the field and the number of years he played.
Taken together, the MRI techniques will help researchers identify structural changes to the brain, as well as microscopic changes to the brain's white-matter fibers.
More importantly, the researchers hope to find imaging markers of progressive cognitive decline caused by chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). CTE's symptoms are similar to those of Alzheimer's disease and are caused by repeated, mild traumatic brain injuries that often occur in contact sports such as football.
DMC is conducting the research in conjunction with Wayne State University's Traumatic Brain Injury Program.
