Senators Reid And McCain Join Boxing, MMA Executives To Support Professional Fighters Study At Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center For Brain Health
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Boxing entities Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank Boxing and mixed martial arts programs Ultimate Fighting Championship and Viacom's Bellator MMA and GLORY kickboxing have collaboratively committed
Senators
"As a former boxer, I know first-hand the toll that a fighter's body takes when he or she is in the ring," said
The four sporting powerhouses came together to assist in funding the study, which is now in its third year at the
"I appreciate the fact that top boxing and mixed martial-arts organizations have joined together to directly support the
"This gift is significant on many levels, but to see these organizations come together to continue this important work confirms that what we're doing at the center is important to the future of fighting," said
To date, the study has enrolled nearly 400 active and retired fighters with the goal of evaluating 625 by its completion. Participation is completely voluntary, and fighters in the study receive free, ongoing assessments of their brain health and brain function, including MRI scans. Individual tests will be repeated annually for at least four years.
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Studies suggest a percentage of professional fighters have a higher risk of developing long-term conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), depression and other neurological and neuropsychiatric problems, often at a young age. Currently, there is no way to determine if a fighter has sustained cumulative brain damage from head trauma; the
Researchers measure changes in brain volume, nerve fiber injury and connectivity, and blood flow via MRI scans. Any changes seen on the participant's MRI will be correlated with their performance on assessments of cognition, behavior, balance and speech. For fighters who demonstrate a relationship between MRI findings and clinical decline, researchers hope to determine whether there are other factors such as genetics, lifestyle characteristics or the amount or type of exposure to head trauma that make them more susceptible to injury.
Preliminary results from the study have already been published or presented at a number of national meetings. Among the promising findings, the study detected changes in the volume of specific brain regions. The connections between certain areas of the brain were detected by MRI scanning in some individuals within as little as a one-year period, suggesting that MRI measures may turn out to be a useful method of tracking brain changes over time in those exposed to head trauma.
Moreover, the study found that exposure to head trauma – using the Composite Index, a formula that includes number of fights, years of fighting and fights per year – correlates with brain volume and cognitive performance. Those with a higher score on the Composite Index are more likely to score lower on cognitive testing. Pending validation over time, this may be a screening tool to identify fighters at higher risk of brain injury.
"We have made great progress in the study so far, and we are continuing to work toward understanding why certain individuals sustain long-term brain injury from repeated head trauma and how we can detect changes early to protect those individuals," said
The collaborative gift announced today from the fighting organizations, combined with funds from the
For more information on this trial and the
About the
About
Additional Comments from Executives and Fighters:
Todd duBoef, President, Top Rank:
"Many of our
"Nothing is more important to the UFC than the health and safety of our athletes. As the world's premier MMA organization we have consistently lived up to that commitment to our fighters and we always will. UFC was the first – and remains the only – combat sports organization to provide our athletes with accident insurance coverage for training-related injuries. Today's announcement is a 'no brainer' for us, as we continue our commitment to athlete safety. We are proud to join with these other prominent promoters – our colleague and competitors – to support the
"The Bellator MMA and Glory kickboxing fighters that we feature on
"As the leading promoter in boxing we are happy to support this important study and honored to be involved with the
"Boxing isn't like other sports; it's not a game. And the sooner we, as fighters, can detect when there's a problem that needs to be addressed, then we can act accordingly.
Contacts:
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