Did Concussions Cause Brett Favre’s Parkinson’s Disease?
Head injuries can cause the disease, but most cases have other origins, and often the main cause is not known
Former NFL quarterback Brett Favre revealed today that he has Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative disorder of the nervous system. One might be quick to assume head injuries in football were the cause—the 54-year-old Favre was sacked plenty during his 20-year career and has said he may have had more than 1,000 concussions.
Interestingly, a new study out yesterday found that one-third of former NFL players believe they have chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a debilitating neuropathological condition brought on by head trauma. In other research, CTE has been linked to the development of Parkinson’s.
However, while traumatic head injuries can cause serious brain conditions, including Parkinson’s, the science on what triggers it in any given individual is less clear, with genetics playing a big role. Among the most famous cases of Parkinson’s was that of Muhammad Ali. Many people assumed boxing was the obvious cause. Yet the neurologists who treated Ali dispute that apparent myth.
More below on how all this might be related to Favre’s condition, or not. First, since the majority of people who…
