Published in the Neurology Department Newsletter at the U Medical School Need Support for BYU Research! Larry Carr, PhD, had an exceptional college football career before going on to be a successful professor and academic; however, at age 58, Larry was diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease thatafflicts many former football players. He was plagued with … Continue reading PBM Fund Established at University of Utah
Author: Larry Carr Ph.D.
Why faith and football? It's easy. Outside of my relationship with my wife, these 2 issues clearly define my life. They seem almost like opposites, certainly unrelated. My faith has always provided me a foundation that not only kept me moving forward when everything inside said to quit, but eventually led me to a discovery that changed my life. I actually played the sport of football for a relatively brief period of time, just over 10 years. But during that time I created memories and friendships that continue today, some 40 years after my last play. I loved my time playing football, but it came with a heavy price. In 2008, I was diagnosed with concussive brain damage, due to those years of football. My symptoms, which started some 20 years before my diagnosis, began with language problems and culminated in severe emotional and significant cognitive disabilities. At that time there was, and continues to be no cure or effective treatment for the disease, and so the symptoms progressed to the point where I nearly gave up all hope. It was the faith of my wife which eventually led us to serve a mission for our church in Boston. There, some 2,500 miles from our home, we found the answers we were searching for, the only place in the world where such answers could be found. This blog chronicles that search and what we found along the way.
Reclaiming the Brain
Call For Participants
Research Description The study we are conducting at the University of Utah, department of Neurology, School of Medicine is designed to examine the impact of photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy on persistent symptoms following a history of repetitive head impacts. This therapy has been used for many decades to improve wound healing and pain associated with orthopedic … Continue reading Call For Participants
Football, CTE and Light
Football was very good to me. I loved the sport and found success as a Hall of Fame middle linebacker at BYU. Hitting and being hit, the comradery, the crowds, everything about it felt so good. Unfortunately, I paid a heavy price for my success on the field. Beginning in my early 40’s, I started … Continue reading Football, CTE and Light
Finally, Some Progress
After nearly a year of planning and the necessary approvals, we started the research study at the University of Utah School of Medicine to examine the effects of near-infrared light on various cognitive, motor and emotional measures in ex-athletes. The participants each have a history of repetitive collisions from participating in different sports, ie football, … Continue reading Finally, Some Progress
“We’re desperate”
I Love Football! With that said… In May of 2017, my wife and I were temporarily living in the Boston area doing genealogical research. I had been diagnosed with football related brain damage 6 years earlier (following 10+ hours of testing) and we hoped that doing service would calm symptoms that had become severe. After … Continue reading “We’re desperate”
Willful Ignorance – they should have known!
Dementia in football: Ex-players three and a half times more likely to die of conditionFormer professional footballers are three and a half times more likely to die of dementia than people of the same age range in the general population, according to new research. Read in BBC News: https://apple.news/AwI69TRGZRWiW37jLsr297Q Regardless of what many continue to … Continue reading Willful Ignorance – they should have known!
The Future of Football
Football is under attack. Not from outside the sport, the scientists, lawyers or the families of suffering players, but from the inside. Brain disease (CTE) is a cancer embedded deep within the core of the sport itself. It threatens football’s continuation under its current model unless a solution is found. We know that better helmets, … Continue reading The Future of Football
The Synergy of Light
A story in the NY Times reported a Journal of Applied Physiology research article that found weight training in rats changed the brain. The authors stated how modified strength training appeared to promote the creation of new neurons in the memory centers. This is not the first time exercise and/or other lifestyle habits have been … Continue reading The Synergy of Light
PBM Treatment Results for CTE
In December of 2013, following over 10 hours of neuro-cognitive testing, and preceded by years of ever decreasing emotional control, my wife Laurie and I listened as the Neuro-psychologist summed up my results, “Probable etiology for these changes is multiple head trauma with multiple concussions. Problems with attention and memory are hallmarks of significant brain … Continue reading PBM Treatment Results for CTE
Football and the Brain 