✓ The Conversation AustraliaScience & Systems
You don't need a concussion to get CTE from sport
CTE is caused by thousands of small hits to the head with no concussion symptoms needed, a neuroscientist at Swinburne University found.
CTE is a brain disease caused by repetitive small impacts, not big concussions, says Swinburne neuroscientist Alan Pearce. A player can get thousands of small hits with no symptoms at all and still develop the condition.
Most public discussion fixates on concussion protocols while missing this wider risk. The fix is simple: reduce how often athletes take hits, especially kids in training.
- Neuroscientist, Swinburne University
- Alan Pearce
- More than two decades
- Research span
- Hundreds and thousands of small hits
- Impact threshold
Why it mattersIf your child plays contact sport, reducing the number of hits they take in training matters more than concussion protocols.
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