Football Can Damage Kids' Brains -- Even If They Don't Get Concussions
Kids who start playing tackle football before the age of 12 are at much higher risk of developing behavioral and emotional troubles as adults, according to a new study.
Researchers found much higher rates of depression, apathy and other neurological problems among those who started young — whether or not they suffered concussions.
Dr. Robert Stern of Boston University’s Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center tells Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson about the risks of repeated hits to the head.
Interview Highlights
On how they conducted the study
“This is a study of adults who were participating in a project called the [Longitudinal Examination to Gather Evidence of Neurodegenerative Disease] LEGEND study, and the average age was around 51 years old when they participated. And they had undergone a variety of cognitive tests on
