Fighters "brain" damaged long before symptoms develop, study hints

Fighters "brain" damaged long before symptoms develop, study hints

-year investigation boxers “and mixed martial-arts fighters’ brain activity have found them to fight for more than six years will start to experience losses, and those who are fighting for over 12 years to surrender to decline even more every time they come back into the ring.

“What we found is proposing changes and brain damage occurs years before symptoms occur,” said Dr. Charles Bernick, author of the study. “This is what we see in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s patients.”

Bernick is directed by an MRI and computerized cognitive testing, and about 170 fighters at the Cleveland Clinic center in Las Vegas last year. He presents the findings of the American Academy of Neurology this week in New Orleans. “If we want to protect these athletes, we have to follow them earlier in their course,” Bernick said.

At the moment, only the fighters carried out an MRI of the brain test, which could be the beginning of their career. The State committee may also request an MRI if they are worried about a fighter’s age, performance or behavior. But to locate when to stop a fight yet undetermined point estimates.

Bernick his trial was expected to help create thresholds for neurologists can be used to determine the beginning of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease.

CTE is shown for those who suffer from a number of vibrations and other injuries of the brain, that will be hit with the head. symptoms of CTE include memory loss, aggression, and difficulty thinking

Bernick said the study found warriors begin to lose brain volume -. As brain cells die -. The six-year battle

Fighters, which bind to the Cleveland Clinic, a program downloaded for free from magnetic resonance imaging, but agrees to return the annual review.

“We still need to follow these guys up,” Bernick said. “If someone can damage the garden, the Commission wants to limit the number of matches he has. It is the hierarchy of a protective thing, to help. This is further elucidated.

” We see this as a “threshold effect. How much punishment can the brain take? What are the signs that we can look for long-term problems? “

The study was a $ 12 million funding boost earlier this year in Las Vegas dinner and auction. One of the highlights of the night’s Ultimate Fighting Championship president Lorenzo Fertitta was exceeded by Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, to use $ 1.1 million A couple of autographed gloves belonging to Muhammad Ali.

lance.pugmire @ latimes.com

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