Steve Broglio, Director of Research at Medicine of Cycling was interviewed by Bicycle Magazine about the potential of cycling related concussion leading to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). Symptoms of CTE generally begin 8–10 years after experiencing repetitive mild traumatic brain injury. In the early stages, CTE can cause decreased job performance, dizziness, and headaches. With progressive deterioration, symptoms may include memory loss, social instability, erratic behavior, and poor judgment. As the disease progresses, symptoms include dementia, decreased muscle coordination and muscular slowing, stuttering speech, tremors, hearing loss, and suicidality.
CTE has been linked to suicide among athletes in high frequency impact sports, most famously American Football. As of December 2012, thirty-three former National Football League (NFL) players had been diagnosed with CTE by post-mortem brain autopsy. Famous football players diagnosed post-mortem include Detroit Lions lineman Lou Creekmur, former Houston Oilers and Miami Dolphins linebacker John Grimsley, and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers guard Tom McHale. An autopsy conducted in 2010 on the brain of Owen Thomas, a 21-year-old junior lineman at the University of Pennsylvania who committed suicide, showed early stages of CTE. He is one of the youngest to be diagnosed with this condition.
Read the full article here: http://www.bicycling.com/training/health-injuries/the-truth-about-cycling-and-brain-injuries
