Mon Jan 7, 2013, 07:22 PM

NFL retirees more likely to have depression and cognitive problems, brain study shows

Source: CBS News

A new study of NFL players adds to the evidence that repeated head blows absorbed during a football career could lead to changes in the brain that affect the athletes' behavior.

The study, published Jan. 7 in JAMA Neurology (formerly known as the Archives of Neurology), found retired NFL players were more likely to report cognitive impairment and depression and show physical brain changes on an MRI scan compared to healthy individuals.

"NFL players may be more likely to develop cognitive impairments (problems with memory, naming and word finding) or depression as they age compared with the general population," wrote the authors, led by Dr. John Hart Jr., medical science director at the Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas.

.......

"Of particular concern is the possibility that...repeated mild traumatic brain injuries (MTBIs) are not limited to professional football players but may also occur in amateur collegiate athletes and even adolescent and younger players," they wrote.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57562582/nfl-retirees-more-likely-to-have-depression-and-cognitive-problems-brain-study-shows/

5 replies, 1505 views

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5 replies	Author	Time	Post
NFL retirees more likely to have depression and cognitive problems, brain study shows (Original post)	Redfairen	Jan 2013	OP
I'm not surprised seeing how their heads get rattled.	sakabatou	Jan 2013	#1
Yep.	Ikonoklast	Jan 2013	#4
It just conformation of what everyone knows.	zellie	Jan 2013	#2
perhaps the short carrreer is also a factor	dembotoz	Jan 2013	#3
First! What is football?	longship	Jan 2013	#5

Response to Redfairen (Original post)

Mon Jan 7, 2013, 07:36 PM

sakabatou (29,071 posts)

1. I'm not surprised seeing how their heads get rattled.

Last edited Mon Jan 7, 2013, 07:36 PM USA/ET - Edit history (1)

I wonder if boxers go through the same thing.

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Response to sakabatou (Reply #1)

Mon Jan 7, 2013, 08:03 PM

Ikonoklast (21,625 posts)

4. Yep.

It's almosty a dead certainty that a professional fighter retires with some damage.

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Response to Redfairen (Original post)

Mon Jan 7, 2013, 07:40 PM

zellie (437 posts)

2. It just conformation of what everyone knows.

The average NFL player lasts 3.5 years added to all the years of high school and college football.

As much as I enjoy it, it's clearly a sport that is not safe.

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Response to Redfairen (Original post)

Mon Jan 7, 2013, 07:48 PM

dembotoz (4,552 posts)

3. perhaps the short carrreer is also a factor

money fame glory and washed up before 30????

concussion big factor no doubt
but the structure of the profession is not exactly a good path toward long term mental health either.

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Response to Redfairen (Original post)

Mon Jan 7, 2013, 08:06 PM

longship (17,624 posts)

5. First! What is football?

Last edited Mon Jan 7, 2013, 08:15 PM USA/ET - Edit history (1)

That's a cognitive problem in itself.

Is it US football?

Or is it what is called football in almost all of the rest of the world?

Or, is it the only real football, played on a cricket grounds, Australian Rules Football?

With the biggest field, Aussie rules truly rules. No wimpy helmets or padding. Play doesn't stop every 30 seconds. Contact is part of the game. Most of the world is delusional about this game. Only the Australians got it right.

SCORE!!!

Posted with tongue planted firmly in cheek. But I must say, I despise US football. Who wants to watch a whole soccer match that ends 1-0? Only Aussie football has it all, IMHO.

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