CONCUSSIONS LINKED TO LOU GEHRIG'S DISEASE
A new study reports that repeated concussions may contribute to the development of symptoms that mimic Lou Gehrig's disease, which is also known as ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). The study found similarities between concussion related brain abnormality and the abnormalities of brains of patients with diseases that affect the regions of the brain responsible for movement, like Lou Gehrig's disease. The study compared the autopsy slides of brains and spinal cords of twelve professional athletes who had suffered concussions with the slides of twelve similarly matched people who had died of Lou Gehrig's disease. The study found distinctive protein abnormalities in the brains of three professional athletes who had developed motor symptoms that were diagnosed as Lou Gehrig's disease. The same abnormalities were present in the brains of all of the people who had died of Lou Gherig's disease, suggesting that Lou Gherig's disease could be caused by repeated concussions.
The study is significant, because of the roughly 30,000 people in the United States who have been diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease, only about 5% to 10% have carry the distinctive genetic mutation associated with the disease. The other 27,000 people have no explanation as to why they have the disease. Scientists say that the study is too small to be conclusive, however the findings are important and will likely lead to more research.
