More than 600 active and retired professional fighters are taking part in a study of the long term effects of repetitive head trauma. The boxers and mixed martial arts participants range in age from 18 to 70. Each fighter is evaluated once a year and their brain scans are then compared over time to measure changes.
“There are some individuals who have a tremendous amount of exposure to head trauma, and they do fine, so we’re trying to understand why that is,” says Dr. Charles Bernick, director of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health
The study leader is looking into whether genetics play a role. Dr. Bernick says the goal is to make combat sports safer.
Researchers hope to have enough data within the next few years to make recommendations that could help the next generation of fighters. Those guidelines could include a policy on how often someone should fight.
