While the concept may sound a tad gruesome, the outcome intends to help understand the effects of a debilitating injury that has become all too common in the world of sports.
A report by The Associated Press details a medical study conducted by a Boston University medical school program seeking to understand the long-term effects of repeated concussions. To successfully conduct their research, the program is asking athletes who have struggled with repeated concussions to donate their brains following their death.
Taylor Twellman of the New England Revolution is one of more than 300 athletes that have volunteered their brains for study. A sufferer of seven concussions, Twellman still deals with the after effects of a collision with a goalkeeper over two years ago, and he wants to help prevent athletes struggling like him.
"It's not hard [to donate] in that you want to help people down the road," Twellman told the AP. "But it is hard since they want your brain because it's been damaged."
The ultimate goal of the program, which is a collaborative effort between BU and the Sports Legacy Institute, is to determine whether consecutive head injuries lead to a degenerative disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Several football players and boxers have been diagnosed with this disease post-mortem, due to excessive head injuries throughout their careers.
Now, BU has more than 300 athletes who have signed up to donate, plus 40 families who have already donated brain and spinal tissue after the loss of their loved ones.
The NFL has also gotten on board with the program, donating $1 million gift to the efforts. The league is pushing for better diagnosis and treatment of concussions, rightly so considering the startling number of players who have already seen time on the sidelines due to concussions.
To address the current "concussion crisis," the Sports Legacy Institute and BU are researching a number of different samples from athletes in several different sports. Most common are wrestlers, hockey and football players. Currently on the list of eventual donors is former NHL All-Star Keith Primeau, and Ravens offensive lineman Matt Birk.
Eventually, Sports Legacy Institute co-founder Chris Nowinski would like up to 50 donors from each sport, both male and female. The current registry features mostly male athletes, but soccer player Cindy Parlow and Olympic swimmer Jenny Thompson have signed up for future donation.
"I think we all know that this is a significant problem that has been ignored," Nowinski said. "These athletes are like, 'I don't need my brain when I go, especially if something good can come of it.'"
