Current Research

A Study on the Association Between Football Exposure and Dementia in Retired Football Players

PI: Kevin Guskiewicz, PhD, ATC and Stephen Marshall, PhD

Funding Source: National Football League (NFL) Charities

We propose to study former football players, a population with a high prevalence of exposure to prior Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI) and sub-concussive impacts, in order to investigate the association between increased football exposure and recurrent MTBI and neurodegenerative disorders such as cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) Supplementation in Retired Professional Football Players

PI: Kevin Guskiewicz, PhD, ATC

Funding Source: Martek Biosciences Corporation

The purpose of this research study is to learn if the dietary supplement DHA, a long-chain omega-3 fatty acid, affects signs and symptoms associated with cognitive impairment such as changes in brain function, memory and mental status, quality of life, and depression in retired NFL players aged 50 and older.

Hypopituitarism in Retired Football Players

PI: Kevin Guskiewicz, PhD, ATC and Daniel Kelly, MD

Funding Source: National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment

The Center is working closely with the Neuro-Endocrine Tumor Center at John Wayne Cancer Institute in Santa Monica and Harbor-UCLA Biomedical Research Center to study the relationship between mild traumatic brain injury and pituitary function.  The purpose of this study is to see if retired professional football players who have had concussions have lower than normal amounts of important hormones as a result of possible damage to the pituitary gland.