Retired athletes in both collision and non-collision sports being recruited for new study

A major study is calling on former sportspeople to put their brains under the microscope in a bid to improve concussion research.

The brains of retired elite athletes will come under the microscope as part of a new study to prevent concussion in Australian sport.

The federal government will on Friday unveil a new $340,000 study to improve research about brain injuries.

The investment follows degenerative brain disease CTE being found during the post-mortems of former AFL players Danny Frawley, Shane Tuck and Polly Farmer.

“We want to ensure that all Australians can continue to play sport at all levels without endangering their long term brain health,” Health Minister Greg Hunt said.

“Three in every four in Australia with brain injuries are aged under 65.

“While the injury is not always linked to playing sport, there have been growing concerns regarding the long term impacts of multiple concussions.”

The late Shane Tuck in action on the field.

The Australian Institute of Sport will lead the concussion and brain health project, which will assess the brain health of retired elite sportspeople.

Chief medical officer, Dr David Hughes, said the project would improve the understanding of long-term brain health in male and female athletes from both collision and non-collision sports.

“We are aiming to collect data on the brain health of more than 40 retired athletes from non-collision sports every year,” Dr Hughes said, adding researchers will potentially use a brain donor program.

The University of Newcastle – which is already studying 150 retired collision sportspeople including former professional rugby league players – will also collaborate on the research alongside the University of Canberra and Hunter Medical Research Institute.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt says the hope is that people can play sport at all levels without endangering their long term brain health. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Ian Currie

More than 700,000 Australians have a brain injury, which can restrict their daily lives.

The AFL world was rocked earlier this year when a brain study revealed former Richmond star Shane Tuck, who had died aged 38, had the worst case of CTE seen by the Australian Sports Brain Bank.

A month later, Victorian Coroner Paresa Spanos made a plea for more research into the impact of contact sports on the brains of AFL players saying it could save lives.

The recommendation followed an investigation into the suicide of AFL great Danny Frawley, 56, who had low stage CTE.

The coroner found that CTE was a potential contributor to the depression that Danny Frawley suffered in the years preceding his death.

Mr Hunt acknowledged the Tuck family, whose tragic loss helped to springboard a national conversation on brain injury in sport.

The research is due to be completed by 2024. 

The Concussion in Sport Australia position statement, released in 2019, will also be updated over the next two years to address the latest evidence on concussion in: female athletes, concussion in para-athletes, potential implications for long-term brain health and rehabilitation following a concussion.

Originally published as Retired athletes in both collision and non-collision sports being recruited for new study