Two Newcastle-based neurological experts will lead one of the world’s largest studies into head injuries and brain health in collision sport.
The National Rugby League (NRL) has announced it will provide initial funding of $250,000 towards a Retired Professional Rugby League Players’ Brain Health Study.
The study, which is in partnership with the University of Newcastle (UoN) and the Spaulding Research Institute at Harvard Medical School, will be a multinational, multi-year program of research to transform the understanding of head injuries.
It is set to include a detailed health survey, which examines the physical, psychological, and cognitive health of former NRL players.
Principal Researcher Andrew Gardner, from the UoN’s School of Medicine and Public Health, as well as the Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI), says the research will significantly progress scientific knowledge in the field.
“This financial support will allow us to build on the evidence we have accumulated with this research to date and enable us to significantly increase the number of retired professional players we recruit to the program each year,” he says.
“It will not only allow us to identify problems and immediately refer former players for treatment, but it will enable us to see former players periodically so we can examine brain health over time.”
Investigator Christopher Levi will also be heavily involved in the comprehensive study.
A neurologist at HMRI, Professor Levi is Director of the Sydney Partnership for Health, Education Research and Enterprise (SPHERE) and Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Science.
He believes the research will lead to the evolution of player safety in this area.
“There is a pressing need for a deeper scientific understanding of the reported association between concussion and longer-term brain and mental health outcomes,” Professor Levi says.
“Key questions to be answered include what level of exposure impacts risk and can potentially vulnerable individuals be identified and thereby exposure avoided.”
In 2017, former Newcastle winger James McManus launched a landmark concussion lawsuit against the NRL club after alleging the Knights allowed him to play and train while concussed, which had resulted in permanent brain damage.
America’s National Football League (NFL) has paid out more than US$500 million under the sport’s concussion settlement to date.
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