this could be good for player safety but bad for the NFL.
WSJ: A Game Changer for Diagnosing Concussions in the NFL
(clicking on the link will take you to lmgtfy.com, which performs a google search for the article. click on the first result that shows up. this gets around WSJ's pay wall)
WSJ: A Game Changer for Diagnosing Concussions in the NFL
(clicking on the link will take you to lmgtfy.com, which performs a google search for the article. click on the first result that shows up. this gets around WSJ's pay wall)
Is asking football players to name the president or state their birthday the best way to diagnose concussions?
A soon-to-be-released paper is expected to give a boost to a more scientific approach: a blood test that can quickly diagnose concussions more effectively than simple clinical methods administered by doctors and trainers.
The paper by National Institutes of Health researchers, expected to be published in the coming weeks online in the journal Neurology, raises hopes that eventually a blood test for a concussion will be as objective as diagnosing high cholesterol or a heart attack, according to people who have read the research. It comes amid growing frustration among scientists and even those on National Football League sidelines with the so-called protocols for diagnosing brain injuries.
The test could help tamp down withering criticism that the league has ignored the effects of head injuries. But it may also reveal more vividly how dangerous the game really is—and potentially sideline more players for longer periods even if they aren’t suffering from obvious concussion-related symptoms.