Tackling concussion within rugby head on

IOM is a scientific collaborator in the ongoing BRAIN study commissioned by the DRAKE Foundation to determine the relationship between concussion and neurological disease, including dementia and Alzheimer’s in former elite rugby players. To date over 200 male players have agreed to take part and be examined as part of the study.

The research has increased awareness of the problem and the potential risks concussion causes. The main ongoing aim is to better understand player’s risks for long-term cognitive health, and to further improve the management of concussion and player welfare.

Other collaborating partners in the study include London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Queen Mary University of London, University College London and Oxford University.

IOM is also a collaborator in the HEADING study which is investigating the brain health of professional football players working with the Professional Footballers Association.