Latest news with #ConcussionLegacyFoundation
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Researchers aim to diagnose CTE in living athletes
(NewsNation) — A new study seeks to diagnose CTE, a deadly brain illness that often affects athletes, in living patients. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a progressive neurodegenerative disease, has often been linked to repeated head injuries and contact sports. Currently, CTE can only be diagnosed after a patient's death. The Concussion Legacy Foundation wants to collaborate with top academic research centers to change that. Led by the Boston University CTE Center, researchers are looking to recruit 350 men aged 50 and older — including 225 former college and professional football players, 75 control participants and 50 people with Alzheimer's disease — for DIAGNOSE CTE Research Project-II. Map: 11th state confirms measles outbreak Researchers will examine new potential disease biomarkers to help doctors 'accurately diagnose' CTE in living patients. The findings are also meant to help doctors learn how to differentiate CTE from similar diseases like Alzheimer's. Participants will join one of five Alzheimer's disease research centers, where they will undergo neurological, cognitive and neuropsychiatric exams, along with multimodal brain imaging, tau PET scans, and blood tests. 'It will fill two missing links in the literature preventing us from developing definitive diagnostic criteria for CTE during life,' said Michael Alosco, associate professor of neurology at Boston University. 'First, we need longitudinal studies that include brain donation. Second, we need to better compare people at risk for CTE to other disease groups.' The study will only include male players; however, researchers said the findings will 'benefit all groups at risk for CTE, including male and female contact sports athletes and military veterans.' Do Medicare and Medicaid cover weight loss drugs? It depends Former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck has been named an ambassador for the study. On 'Morning in America' on Friday, he expressed confidence in the study's wide-reaching impact across all sports. 'I think that the difference here is that we haven't had a test subject of people, mainly football players. In this case, a contact sport that we know there is head trauma, head collision. But I think this will affect every other sport,' he said. 'I think that football will lead the way, but I think we're going to learn a lot, and it's going to help everybody.' Former football players and men with no history of contact sports interested in participating in the study are encouraged to sign up for the Concussion Legacy Foundation Research Registry at Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Former Flyers Draft Pick Posthumously Diagnosed with CTE
Former Flyers draft pick Chris Simon celebrates a goal with his Islanders teammates back in 2006. (Photo: Lou Capozzola, USA TODAY) Former Philadelphia Flyers draft pick Chris Simon has been posthumously diagnosed with Stage 3 CTE, Dr. Chris Nowinski, the founding CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, announced Monday morning. Simon was drafted 25th overall by the Flyers in the second round of the 1990 NHL Draft, but the Flyers later traded Simon to the Quebec Nordiques as part of the package for legendary forward Eric Lindros. Advertisement Simon played in the NHL for 15 seasons, with his last NHL game having been played nearly 17 years ago to the day on April 15, 2008. Simon participated in 101 fights in his NHL career. Simon died by suicide at the age of 52 on March 18, 2024, and was long said to have been struggling with the effects of CTE. This was confirmed with Monday's announcement. Dr. Ann McKee of the Boston University CTE Center released the following statement in regards to her findings in the posthumous study: 'Mr. Simon had severe CTE pathology in areas of the brain involved with cognition and mood regulation, and it is likely CTE contributed to his memory problems, depression, and apathy. Individuals with a significant history of repetitive head impacts in sports who report these symptoms need to be taken seriously, and our team is committed to providing them the care they need while also continuing to advance CTE research.' Advertisement Simon's family had this to say, as part of a longer full-length statement, in addition to Dr. McKee's words: 'Our family is extremely thankful to Dr. Ann McKee, Lisa McHale and all staff at Boston University CTE Center and the Concussion Legacy Foundation for all of their work and support. We are relieved that stage 3 CTE was definitively found in his brain as it will help bring some closure and healing to his family and friends. The unfortunate feeling of anger is also present due to the negligence of a professional league turning a blind eye to CTE and other significant brain injuries sustained in the sport of hockey.' Simon's family agreed to release the results of the brain study in an effort to draw attention and raise awareness for the needs of former hockey players struggling with long-term complications of repeated head traumas. 'With each new diagnosis of CTE in a former NHL player, the NHL's lack of leadership on this issue becomes more intolerable,' Dr. Nowinski said. 'Yet their denial strengthens our resolve to support the hockey community through our free HelpLine and advance research focused on diagnosing CTE during life and developing effective treatments.' Advertisement Nineteen of 20 former NHLers studied at the Boston University CTE Center, including Simon, Derek Boogaard, Bobby Hull, and Stan Mikita, have been diagnosed with CTE. Those in need of assistance can reach the Concussion Legacy Foundation HelpLine at
Washington Post
20-02-2025
- Health
- Washington Post
NHL legend Bobby Hull had CTE when he died, according to researchers
Hockey legend Bobby Hull was diagnosed posthumously with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), according to his widow, who authorized the information to be shared on Wednesday by the Concussion Legacy Foundation. Hull died in 2023, at which point his family donated his brain to researchers. That was in accordance with his wishes, said Deborah Hull, his wife of almost 40 years, after he witnessed the suffering late in life of longtime Chicago Blackhawks teammate Stan Mikita. A fellow Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, Mikita was diagnosed with CTE a year after he died in 2018.
Fox News
20-02-2025
- Health
- Fox News
NHL legend Bobby Hull had CTE when he died, researchers say
Researchers at Boston University's CTE Center found that NHL legend Bobby Hull, who died in 2023 at age 84, suffered from Stage 2 CTE. CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) is a degenerative brain disease that has been identified in athletes and military combat veterans who sustained concussions or repeated blows to the head. It can be diagnosed only posthumously through an examination of the brain. It is no longer uncommon to find former football players, hockey players and fighters who suffered from the disease at the times of their deaths. "Seeing the pain and heartache suffered by his lifetime friend Stan Mikita's family, Bobby felt strongly no other family should have to endure CTE," Deborah Hull, Bobby's wife of 39 years, said in a statement via the Concussion Legacy Foundation. "He insisted on donating his brain, feeling as though it was his duty to help advance research on this agonizing disease." "NHL families deserve to know that CTE can be a consequence of the head impacts they receive while playing the game," added Concussion Legacy Foundation CEO Dr. Chris Nowinski. "The NHL still shamelessly refuses to acknowledge this scientific truth, so we hope this message reaches current players so that they, at a minimum, can play with informed consent." Hull played 23 professional ice hockey seasons — 16 in the NHL, and another seven in the World Hockey Association. He made his NHL debut in 1957 before hanging up his skates in 1980. Hull helped the Chicago Blackhawks to two Stanley Cup titles, and was a 12-time All-Star and two-time MVP. His son, Brett, was also a 20-year NHL veteran and, like his dad, is in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Including his WHA numbers, Hull racked up 913 goals and 895 assists. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Reuters
19-02-2025
- Health
- Reuters
'Golden Jet' Bobby Hull had CTE when he died in 2023
Feb 19 (Reuters) - Hockey Hall of Fame forward Bobby Hull, the first NHL player to score more than 50 goals in a season, had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) when he died in 2023, his widow and the Concussion Legacy Foundation said on Wednesday. Hull's family donated his brain to a brain bank at the Boston University CTE Center after he died in 2023 at the age of 84 and results from a post-mortem brain tissue analysis showed he had stage 2 (of 4) CTE. CTE, which can only be diagnosed after death and can develop from long-term exposure to repeated hits to the head, has been linked to mental health issues ranging from mood and behavioral symptoms to cognitive impairment and dementia. Hull struggled with short-term memory loss and impaired judgment for the last 10 years of his life and decided to donate his brain after seeing longtime teammate Stan Mikita, who also had CTE, decline late in his life. "Seeing the pain and heartache suffered by his lifetime friend Stan Mikita's family, Bobby felt strongly no other family should have to endure CTE," Deborah Hull, Bobby's wife of 39 years, said in a news release. "He insisted on donating his brain, feeling as though it was his duty to help advance research on this agonizing disease." Canadian Hull, who had a feared slapshot and was known as the "Golden Jet" because of his blonde hair and speed on the ice, helped the Chicago Blackhawks to a Stanley Cup in 1961 which ended a 23-year title drought for the franchise. The left winger helped resurrect the fortunes of a Blackhawks franchise which, prior to his arrival, had missed the playoffs in 11 of the previous 12 seasons. Hull was a five-time 50-goal scorer, led the NHL in scoring seven times, twice won the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player and was voted a First-Team All-Star on the left wing 10 times. He finished his NHL career with 610 goals scored over 16 seasons with Chicago, Hartford and Winnipeg and is now 18th on the all-time list.
