Researchers from the University of Newcastle and Hunter Research Medical Institute have received funding from the federal government to investigate brain injuries in elite athletes.
The research, in conjunction with the Australian Institute of Sport is comparing the brain health of retired elite athletes who were involved in contact sports such as Rugby League to athletes from non-collision sports.
Concussion is the leading form of brain injury and occurs when athletes are hit in the head. The concern here is that concussions are often associated with being knocked out however, most of the time they occur without loss of consciousness.
Researchers are hoping to understand concussion and head injuries to better understand how they can be prevented. By doing this appropriate care plans can be developed to minimise lasting effect.
Phase one of the study looking at athletes from collision sports has already been undertaken, with phase two set to get underway courtesy of the new funding.
Associate Professor Andrew Gardner of HMRI and University of Newcastle has been leading one of the largest and most comprehensive brain health research programs for retired athletes in the world, involving in-person evaluations of more than 150 players.
Professor Gardner says HMRI and the University of Newcastle are combining with the University of Canberra to take the research further, reducing recruiting a control group of retired non-collision athletes.
"We are aiming to collect data on the brain health of more than 40 retired athletes from non-collision sports every year. This study is available to former elite level men and women," Prof Gardner said.
