Repeated head trauma, such as that experienced in American football and boxing, can cause depression, cognitive issues, and personality changes years later. The progressive accumulation of the protein tau in the brain is linked to the neurodegenerative disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
Ninety-nine percent of the 111 brains taken from former NFL players who passed away in 2017 revealed CTE, according to a research. According to Boston University neurologist Jesse Mez, “what we’ve shown, I would say pretty definitively, is the relationship between years of play and risk of the disease.”
To try to lower the number of injuries among American football players, the NFL has developed an artificial intelligence program that uses TV imagery and sensors integrated in shoulder pads, mouth guards, and helmets. It locates hits and injuries using computer vision and machine learning technologies, providing information on how to make players safer.
According to NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller, “[Having the computers understand] how many times a player hits his helmet during the course of a game [helps] find ways to reduce the amount of helmet contact.” As a result, the sport has changed a number of rules to lower risk.
Read more on sportchannel.co.uk
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