The ‘unsexy’, low-tech fix that will reduce brain injuries in sport

A low-tech fix could cut the toll of brain injuries in sport, The Conversation reports. The outlet spoke with neuroscientist Alan Pearce of Swinburne University of Technology, who has studied sports head injuries for more than two decades, following the death of footballer Nathan Fitzgerald after he took three hits to the head during a game. Pearce says public debate fixates on concussion protocols while missing the real driver of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE — the repetitive, sub-concussive impacts that accumulate without any obvious symptoms. He describes brain tissue as delicate as silken tofu, easily jostled by repeated knocks, and notes CTE is turning up in young athletes, not just older ones. His prescription isn't a gadget or an outright ban, but simply reducing exposure by modifying how sports are played and trained, especially for children and adolescents.

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