Went to a dinner where a neuroscience heavyweight spoke, and a short period of time was spent discussing eliminating the impacts of brain trauma. A lot (i.e., most) of the discussion was above my pay grade, but basically there is process that is accelerated where asctrocytes eat synapses when brain trauma occurs and neuroscientists can now see and test this process (this advance has occurred in the last year or two). When more synapses are being destroyed than being formed (when you get older), the brain shrinks, plaque develops and the result is various brain disorders. So the two takeaways that were discussed for football is: (1) you should be able to monitor the brain in a way to tell when players are over concussions and can play; and importantly (2) there are two drugs on the market right now that could be given at the time of the concussion that will slow down the acceleration synapses destruction, eliminating, or at lessening, the long term impacts of concussions. This well take a few years to get approved given the archaic US regulatory system and probably will be used in other countries first (and I'm not saying the names of the meds less I start an investment bubble on the companies that produce the drug). So the "cure" to concussions may be in medicine rathe than helmets, though from a player's and team's standpoint, not getting the concussion in the first place clearly is preferable. Also, this is not cure for syndromes related to repetitive head impacts, that are not concussions.
Another item that was discussed is that Furd named a neuroscientist as its new President, and surprisingly, did not elevate their provost, which is a break from past practice. The neuroscientist is replacing a President who was an electrical engineer, perhaps, at least symbolically, denoting a changing in the guard in where academic science is headed.
All that aside, concussions and repetitive impact syndromes are a long run threat to the game (most parents I know would not let the son play football), and science hopefully is the answer to this threat.
Another item that was discussed is that Furd named a neuroscientist as its new President, and surprisingly, did not elevate their provost, which is a break from past practice. The neuroscientist is replacing a President who was an electrical engineer, perhaps, at least symbolically, denoting a changing in the guard in where academic science is headed.
All that aside, concussions and repetitive impact syndromes are a long run threat to the game (most parents I know would not let the son play football), and science hopefully is the answer to this threat.
