By DR. JENNIFER ASHTON, ABC News Senior Medical Contributor
Recently we’re hearing more and more about the potential dangers of football and traumatic brain injuries, or TBIs. Until now, most studies on this link have centered on NFL athletes and have been conducted on brains of deceased players. But now, researchers from Johns Hopkins have released a study that recruited younger players and used a different imaging test.
In the study, researchers found that those who had a record of pro football play had higher activity levels in some immune cells in the brain.
It’s not known if there are important functional changes related to these findings, or if these effects will be associated with any negative, long term outcomes. And these changes in the brain may resolve with little consequence.
There are clear benefits that come with playing any competitive sport, but more research is definitely needed and ongoing.
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