Brain Doctor: These Popular Sports Are Causing Brain Damage & The NFL Is Keeping This Devastating Disease Quiet!

About this episode

What is killing young athletes at the peak of physical performance? A medical bank of over 1,000 brains and 30 years of study shine a spotlight on the cause  Dr Ann McKee is a world-renowned neurologist and the Director of Boston University’s CTE and Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centres. She leads groundbreaking research on the fatal neurodegenerative disease known as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). In this conversation, Dr Ann and Steven discuss topics such as, the devastating symptoms of CTE, how young athletes are at risk of CTE, why the NFL are keeping the disease a secret, and the health risks of heading a football.  00:00 Intro 02:14 Ann McKee's Mission on CTE 03:37 What Is CTE? 05:05 Sports Most Likely to Cause CTE 06:06 How Fragile Is the Human Brain? 06:41 What Ann McKee Does in Her Research 07:15 The First Time Ann Saw a Brain with CTE 10:39 How Many Athletes Have CTE? 12:26 How CTE Affects Daily Life 13:58 Young Athletes Impacted by CTE 14:33 Wyatt Bramwell’s Story: A Tragic Case of CTE 18:08 When Do Signs of CTE First Appear? 21:21 How Does CTE Develop in the Brain? 23:48 Jeff Astle: CTE in Soccer 24:45 Challenges in Raising Awareness About CTE 27:42 The NFL's Contact With Ann McKee 28:17 The NFL’s Early Reactions to CTE 30:01 The Impact of CTE on Families 30:29 Why Ann McKee Cares About the Families 32:26 The Pressure of Studying CTE 32:58 The NFL's Shift on CTE and Lawsuits 34:36 Owain Thomas: CTE Case Study 36:08 NFL Helmet Safety and CTE 37:51 The Four Stages of CTE Explained 40:22 Aaron Hernandez: The Link to CTE 44:28 Mike Webster's Battle with CTE 45:14 The Progress Ann McKee Wants to See in CTE Research 46:17 Do We Really Need Contact in Sports? 50:18 Preventing Alzheimer’s Through Brain Health 53:16 Are Brain Diseases Like CTE Increasing? 53:46 How Inflammation in the Brain Worsens Diseases 56:50 Ann McKee’s Advice for Parents of Young Athletes 58:22 Ann’s Message to the NFL and Sports Organisations 59:33 The Final Question: What's Next for CTE Research? Follow Dr Ann:  Twitter - https://g2ul0.app.link/NF8SldoeUNb  Boston University’s CTE Center - https://g2ul0.app.link/tXabKUpeUNb  You can view the brain scan of advanced CTE, here: https://linktr.ee/diaryofaceostudies  Watch the episodes on Youtube - https://g2ul0.app.link/DOACEpisodes  My new book! 'The 33 Laws Of Business & Life' is out now - https://g2ul0.app.link/DOACBook  You can purchase the The Diary Of A CEO Conversation Cards: Second Edition, here: https://g2ul0.app.link/f31dsUttKKb  Follow me: https://g2ul0.app.link/gnGqL4IsKKb  Sponsors: Linkedin Jobs - linkedin/doac ZOE - http://joinzoe.com with code BARTLETT10 for 10% off Colgate - https://www.colgate.com/en-gb/colgate-total Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices