Can football be saved from CTE? Some people think so. New rules, better helmets, concussion protocols to take players out of the game, but is it enough? CTE, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy is a degenerative brain disease caused by repetitive hits to the head. These hits don’t have to cause concussion. Most of the time sub-concussive … Continue reading Can Football be saved from CTE? by Laurie Carr
Category: Laurie Carr
PBM Fund Established at University of Utah
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
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
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 Need is Real
On Sunday April 14th a newspaper article about our struggle with CTE appeared in the Deseret News out of Salt Lake City. First online, and then in the Monday paper, the article by Lee Benson, chronicled our journey to find a treatment that actually worked for the symptoms my husband was suffering from. Science was … Continue reading The Need is Real
“Light” is the Answer
As I said in my last post, after around 7 weeks without treatment, we called the VA. We wanted to start the home treatment right away, however Larry needed to go back to Dr. Naeser for another round of fMRI's and testing first. I was really nervous about this step in the study. I knew … Continue reading “Light” is the Answer
Football and the Brain 