News series covering my Masters project
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Sport-related concussions affect millions of athletes on a yearly basis. Concussions are often accompanied by short-lived neurological impairments, however, there are also symptoms which may remain for many years post-injury.
My MASc work focused on the identification of any neurological changes present in retired athletes of the Canadian Football League, through the use of advanced magnetic resonance imaging techniques. These advanced imaging techniques included methods for evaluating brain characteristics such as thickness of brain structures, changes in brain activity, and alterations in core microstructure of the brain. Analyzing the results of these techniques revealed changes in a number of brain regions within the retired professional athlete population. These results suggest that a career of high impact sports may lead to short and long-term neurological consequences. The results of my work were featured in the Hamilton Spectator, Toronto Star and on CBC.
