Michigan Friday: Continues The Talk On Concussions in Football

If you have followed this blog for sometime, you know one of my "hot topics" is concussions in football.   One of the scariest things I have ever seen on a football field was Michael Shaw leaving the field at Purdue with the trainer and acting like he was drunk.   He had just received another concussion and I believe that was the last down he played at Michigan. 

I'm a firm believer that concussions could effect the game we love long term.   That is why I try to keep all my readers aware if there is a new study or another incident with a current or former player.

The latest news comes from a study from the University of Tulsa.   Below is an excerpt from that finding:

College football players with and without a history of concussions have less volume in the hippocampal region of the brain that relates to memory and emotion, according to a study published Tuesday by the Journal of the American Medical Association. Moreover, the number of years of playing experience was inversely related to hippocampal volume and reaction time.

The study, conducted at The University of Tulsa (TU) in partnership with the Laureate Institute for Brain Research (LIBR), is the most comprehensive ever to assess the effects of football specifically on college players.

“Other studies have evaluated the effects on older athletes, such as retired NFL players, but no one has studied 20-year-olds until now – and the results were remarkable and surprising,” said Patrick S.F. Bellgowan, director of cognitive neuroscience for LIBR and a faculty member at TU. “Our next step is to assess what caused this difference in hippocampus size.”

“This unique finding and dataset are a reflection of the unprecedented access and collaboration provided by the Department of Athletics at The University of Tulsa” Bellgowan said. “Subsequent research aimed at understanding developmental aspects of this finding will require similarly strong commitment by local athletes, parents and high schools.”

This study is significant because it shows that football could cause brain damage, even at a young age.   This is the type of study that will effect mothers and fathers in letting their son play football or another sport.   If the sport continues to lose talent at all levels, the product on the field will decline over time.  

I continue to believe we are still in the early stages of understanding the impact of concussions on football and how the brain reacts over time.    I hope there is a solution, so we can continue to enjoy this great game.