High-tech neuroimaging has revealed potential damage in a system used by the brain of professional boxers and mixed martial arts athletes to eliminate waste.
Dr. Danoush Amin, the lead researcher who conducted the study at the University of Alabama, said, "When this system does not function properly, harmful proteins can accumulate, which have been linked to Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia." The results indicated that the "waste disposal system" in the brain is damaged in professionals who suffer from repeated head injuries. Scans showed that this glymphatic system begins to exert extra effort to correct the problem, then its activity declines.
According to "Health Day", Amin and his colleagues added that the discovery of the glymphatic system in the brain is relatively new and it is a network of fluid-filled channels "resembling the brain's waste drainage system", according to Amin, and it is "vital to helping the brain eliminate metabolites and toxins".
The researchers benefitted from data that was already collected from 280 professional fighters who were followed for at least 3 years as part of a study on the brain health of professional athletes, conducted by the Cleveland Clinic. The discovery of early damage to the glymphatic system may support advice given to martial arts players and other athletes at risk.
