The results of this research, which can be found in the following article, “White Matter Integrity in the Brains of Professional Soccer Players without Symptomatic Concussion,” are especially important for soccer-loving Germany, where Fußball is the leading national sport. Dr. Inga Katharina Koerte, the first author of this study, is one of the researchers who detected clear signs of brain tissue alterations in professional soccer players who had not suffered from concussions before. “The changes we saw resemble those observed in patients suffering from concussions, except that they are less pronounced,” she said.
The prevalence of repetitive blows to the head in contact sports, such as soccer, football, and ice hockey is of concern to many brain specialists, public officials, and athletes. The consequences of these injuries range from short-term effects, such as dizziness and nausea, to long-term effects like depression and memory loss. The severity, however, is age-dependent. Head injuries that occur at a young age are more likely to have long-term implications. As a reaction to the latest scientific research, sports leagues in the U.S. and Germany have started to introduce new regulations, such as the NFL’s Head Health Initiative, a major research effort backed up $60 million in collective investments.
Dr. Koerte will speak at the German Center for Research and Innovation on Monday, June 3. She will be joined by Dr. Robert A. Stern, Director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Center Clinical Core at Boston University School of Medicine, and Alan Schwarz, The New York Times’ National Correspondent, who has written more than 100 articles on the seriousness of sports concussions.
Date: Monday, June 3, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Location: German Center for Research and Innovation, 871 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY (First Ave., btw. 48th & 49th Streets)
RSVP here: form.jotformpro.com/form/31124919758966
Unable to attend? Follow @gcri_ny and the hashtag #headinjuries for live tweets. A video recording will be available on www.germaninnovation.org shortly after the event.
About the German Center for Research and Innovation
The German Center for Research and Innovation provides information and support for the realization of cooperative and collaborative projects between North America and Germany. With the goal of enhancing communication on the critical challenges of the 21st century, the GCRI hosts a wide range of events from lectures and exhibitions to workshops and science dinners. Opened in February 2010, the GCRI was created as a cornerstone of the German government’s initiative to internationalize science and research and is one of five German Houses of Research and Innovation worldwide: www.germaninnovation.org
