Three active players in the National Football League have agreed to donate their brain and the spinal cord tissue after their death at the Centre for the study of traumatic encephalopathy at Boston University (BU) School of Medicine. The center section in Science last month, is a collaboration between researchers at the UB and nonprofit Sports Legacy Institute, headed by Chris Nowinski, a former professional wrestler who cut his career short after a debilitating series concussions.
Nowinski convinced over 100 professional athletes to donate their brains to research the long-term effects of repetitive head injuries. Researchers at UB and elsewhere have found evidence of neurodegeneration, as well as mood and memory, in retired professional athletes in contact sports. Earlier this month, researchers in West Virginia announced an independent initiative to study brain injuries among professional athletes.
The three new additions are the first active NFL players to sign with the Boston group. They are: linebacker Lofa Tatupu of the Seattle Seahawks, Sean Morey receiver for the Arizona Cardinals and the Baltimore Ravens center Matt Birk (photo via http://www.flickr.com/photos/keithallison/, DC BY-SA 2.0)
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