Boogaard's brain was ravaged by head blows
Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2011 8:27 am
http://www.startribune.com/sports/wild/135059608.html
How scary is this? I wonder what NFL players brains look like after a long career, especialy some of those who always lead with their helmet. I hope some of the players start realizing that this is not a matter to take lightly.Former Wild enforcer Derek Boogaard had a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head trauma when he died in May at age 28.
The disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a close relative of Alzheimer's disease and has been diagnosed in the brains of more than 20 former football players. It can be diagnosed only posthumously.
The researchers at the Boston University Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy who examined Boogaard's brain said the case was particularly sobering because Boogaard was a young, high-profile athlete, dead in midcareer, with a surprisingly advanced degree of brain damage.
"To see this amount? That's a 'wow' moment," said Ann McKee, a neuropathologist and a co-director of the center.