Study: One in Four NFL Players Died With CTE

Forbes cited research by biomedical engineers at the University of Cincinnati to provide context about a new report that found one in four NFL players had evidence of brain damage at death. The report, published in The BMJ, examined the brains of NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021. Researchers extrapolated that 25 percent of NFL players had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a type of brain damage associated with concussions.

In its report, Forbes highlighted a 2026 study by UC College of Engineering and Applied Science Professor Eric Nauman and doctoral student Sean Bucherl. They found that the latest generation of position-specific helmets made by Riddell and Vicis did not protect as well against blows that can cause concussions compared to their new traditional helmets. Nauman and his research partners have been conducting independent tests of football helmets worn by children and adults alike.

UC's study also found that the back of the helmet remains most vulnerable to blows that can cause concussions in the latest testing. The work was conducted at UC's Human Injury Research and Regenerative Technologies Lab at the university's Bioscience Center. UC's study this year was published in the Journal of Visualized Experiments.

A featured image shows UC doctoral student Sean Bucherl working with a dummy head fitted with sensors and a modal hammer to measure blows capable of causing concussions in UC Professor Eric Nauman's lab at the Bioscience Center. Photo by Andrew Higley/UC.

UC Professor Eric Nauman studies sports-related concussions in his lab at the UC Bioscience Center. Photo by Andrew Higley/UC.

Science and medical outlets highlight a multidrug nanofiber to treat glioblastoma developed by the University of Cincinnati and Johns Hopkins Medicine. Local 12 highlighted a new study by biomedical engineering researchers that looked at how well new football helmets protected players from impacts that can cause concussions. Medical XPress highlights biomedical engineering research at the University of Cincinnati that used a mini-brain model to study the cascade of neurodegenerative effects caused by blunt-force trauma associated with concussions.

Source: www.uc.edu — Read the original article