only experiences one or two headache days a month now.
Currently there is no cure for CTE; physicians can only treat the symptoms. Nowinski also hopes that will change through the work of his Sports Legacy Institute in Boston( which seeks to advance the study, treatment and prevention of brain trauma in athletes) and through its collaboration with Boston University through the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy. Nowinski has persuaded a number of families to donate the brains of deceased athletes for research, including the family of former NFL player Andre Waters, who committed suicide in 2006 at the age of 44.10 The neuropathologist who examined Waters’ brain, Bennet Omalu, MD, determined that Waters had developed CTE. 11
When, in 1994, Waters was asked by the Philadelphia Inquirer how many concussions he’ d sustained, he said,“ I think I lost count at 15.” He also admitted to ignoring the concussions, sniffing smelling salts and returning to the game. 11
Waters’ story illuminates one thing that researchers do know about CTE: it takes repeated head injuries to trigger the disease.“ But only a small number of people have been diagnosed with CTE and there are still many questions: How many hits do you need? Why do some people seem to have long careers with histories of head injuries and not get it? Is it a combination of the
MEASURING IMPACT
To help coaches and trainers determine whether an athlete can return to play after head trauma, many teams now use the ImPACT ®( Immediate Postconcussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing) evaluation system. ImPACT is a 20-minute, computerized tool that walks the user through several concussion-related tests including attention span, reaction time and working memory. Athletes must take the test prior to a concussion to set a baseline score. Once head trauma occurs, the athlete then takes the test again to see how their score aligns with the baseline and normative data. A licensed health care professional interprets the data and makes a decision about return-to-play.
A majority of U. S. professional football and soccer teams— and all national hockey league teams— use the ImPACT test. When it comes to high schools and universities, it depends on whether the state and / or school has made ImPACT use mandatory. For a list of states, schools and teams using ImPACT, go to http:// impacttest. com / clients / page / all.
number of hits and being predisposed?” Dr. McCoyd says. Genetics may be a factor that makes some people susceptible. A gene variation seen in Alzeimer’ s has been found in approximately 57 percent of individuals with CTE. 12 Dr. McCoyd hypothesizes that other health problems( e. g., hypertension, diabetes) or age might influence the process.
Learn more about your headaches and interact with specialists in the NHF Chat Room at www. headaches. org / content / nhf-webinars.
10. Bialik and Fry.“ Eagles Fans Mourn Death of Andre Waters.” The Wall Street Journal. Nov. 21, 2006. 11. Schwarz.“ Expert Ties Ex-Player’ s Suicide to Brain Damage.” The New York Times. Jan. 18, 2007. 12. Gavett et al.“ Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy: A Potential Late Effect of Sport-related Concussive and Subconcussive Head Trauma.” Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine. 2011; 30( 1): 179-xi.
28 HEAD WISE | Volume 2, Issue 4 • 2012