Swedish researchers say they have devised a blood test that could better diagnose sports-related brain injuries and prevent American football, rugby and ice hockey players returning to the field in danger. [s]Reuters[/s] reports that in findings from a study of ice hockey players, the researchers said their method can show just an hour after a head injury how severe the concussion is, whether there is a risk of long-term symptoms, and when the player can return to the sport. A growing body of scientific evidence, much of it from studies of former American football players and boxers, suggests repeated head knocks such as in contact sports can cause chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a brain condition that can lead to loss of cognitive function, dementia, aggression and depression. [b]Yelverton Tegner[/b], a researcher at [b]Lulea University of Technology[/b] and a team doctor for the Swedish national women's football team, who also worked on the study, said the ultimate aim was ‘to have a working kit that can be used for diagnostics in hospitals, and perhaps also at rink-side or in stadiums’, for use immediately after a player is concussed. [b]Henrik Zetterberg[/b] at the University of Gothenburg, said the same test could also be used in general emergency medical care to diagnose brain damage from concussions, regardless of how they happened.
[link url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/13/us-concussion-idUSBREA2C15W20140313]Full Reuters report [/link]
[link url=http://archneur.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1846623]Full JAMA Neurology study[/link]