Rowan Stringer was a 17 year-old rugby player who sustained several concussions over a series of matches, before passing away in 2013. Her family, and others like them, are fighting hard to make sure something like this never happens again, through education and advocacy. But there is currently no method for accurately diagnosing a concussion or predicting the length of recovery. And there are still no effective treatments.Heather speaks with Dr. Carmela Tartaglia to discuss the latest research on the link between multiple concussions and neurodegeneration, or progressive loss of brain function – a symptom that’s consistent with diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. We also hear from Anna Vasileuskaya, a 5th year PhD student in Dr. Tartaglia’s lab at Krembil Brain Institute, about her research looking at new ways to diagnose CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy), a progressive, and often fatal, brain disease.Featuring:Dr. Carmela Tartaglia is a cognitive neurologist and Clinician Investigator at Krembil Brain Institute. She also co-leads the UHN Memory Clinic.Special thanks to Anna Vasileuskaya, for sharing her story.Additional Resources:Canadian Concussion CentreCanadian Concussion Centre webinar seriesThe Hull-Ellis Concussion and Research ClinicRowan’s Law – Concussion SafetyBrain Injury CanadaVideos:Kathleen and Gordon Stringer speak at UHN eventUHN Behind-the-Scenes – Dr. Carmela TartagliaKrembil Minute – ConcussionThe Krembil Brain Institute, part of University Health Network, in Toronto, is home to one of the world's largest and most comprehensive teams of physicians and scientists uniquely working hand-in-hand to prevent and confront problems of the brain and spine, such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, epilepsy, stroke, spinal cord injury, chronic pain, brain cancer or concussion, in their lifetime. Through state-of-the-art patient care and advanced research, we are working relentlessly toward finding new treatments and cures.Do you want to know more about the Krembil Brain Institute at UHN? Visit us at: uhn.ca/krembilTo get in touch, email us at krembil@uhnresearch.ca or message us on social media:Instagram - @krembilresearchTwitter - @KBI_UHNFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/KrembilBrainInstituteThanks for listening!