'Leaky' brain barrier revealed as driver of chronic brain damage in retired combat and collision sports athletes
medicalxpress - Research, led by teams at Trinity College Dublin and the FutureNeuro Research Ireland Center, has pinpointed the mechanism linking some sports injuries to poor brain health in retired athletes. The research, published in Science Translational Medicine, ha…
AI Summary: New research links repetitive head impacts in contact and combat sports to blood–brain barrier breakdown, which appears to drive chronic traumatic encephalopathy and progressive cognitive decline. The studies identify vascular leakage as a key mechanism and suggest that strategies to bolster the barrier could reduce long-term brain damage in athletes and veterans.