Key Takeaways
- Brain bank research is the key to finding how repetitive brain trauma affects behavior, thinking, and memory.
- Clinical research on human volunteers also plays a huge role in accelerating progress and can provide crucial insights on potential treatments for concussions, PCS, and CTE.
Why participate in research?
Research is the key that unlocks our ability to prevent and treat the effects of brain trauma. Brain bank research has provided undeniable evidence of how repetitive brain trauma affects behavior, thinking and memory. Clinical research on human volunteers plays an equally critical role in accelerating progress and can provide crucial insights on potential treatments. You can scroll down this page to learn about actively recruiting research studies that you may be eligible for.
First, watch Dr. Robert Stern, former director of clinical research at the Boston University CTE Center, explain why you should participate in research.
Imminent Brain Donation
For imminent brain donation matters, please call the 24-hour emergency donation pager at (617) 992-0615.
For imminent brain donation matters in Australia, email SPORTS Brain Bank or call the 24-hour line at (02) 8005 6891.
Sign up for the Concussion & CTE Foundation® Research Registry
The Concussion & CTE Foundation® Research Registry comprises the Brain Donation Registry (BDR) and Clinical Research Registry (CRR). You may sign up for one or both. All adults, with or without a history of sports participation or military service, are eligible to join the Research Registry.
Brain Donation Registry members will receive an informational packet on brain donation. CRR members will receive regular communications recruiting them to clinical research studies on concussions and CTE. Click here to join the Research Registry or learn more.
If you’re a researcher with a project on which you’d like to collaborate with the Concussion & CTE Foundation, please send us an email at [email protected] and we’d be happy to discuss how we may be able to work together.
Treatment Study for Depression and Cognitive Symptoms in Football Players
Location: Emory University, Atlanta GA
Seeking: Men age 30 to 55 who played 11+ years of a tackle football and are currently experiencing depressive and cognitive symptoms. The study involves psychiatric and medical assessments, MRI scans of the brain, and taking study medication over a period of 8 weeks. At least 6 in-person visits will occur at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia over ~10 weeks.
Goal: Repeated head impacts from playing contact sports can lead to inflammation in the brain that impacts mood, memory and concentration. The Behavioral Immunology Program at Emory is conducting a research study to explore how the anti-inflammatory medication baricitinib may work to improve depression and cognitive symptoms in former football players who may be at risk for CTE.
Interested in participating? Contact Contact Karina Noll at 404-778-7599 or email [email protected].
DIAGNOSE CTE-II
Location: Boston University CTE Center (additional sites in the future)
Seeking: Men age 50 or older who meet one of the following criteria:
- Played 4 or more seasons of professional tackle football, with a minimum of 12 seasons of organized tackle football overall OR
- Played 3 or more seasons of college tackle football with a minimum of 6 seasons of organized tackle football and did not play professionally OR
- Have not played contact/collision sports, have no other sources of repetitive head impacts, and have no symptoms OR
- Have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, have never played contact or collision sports and have no history of repetitive head impacts
Goal: DIAGNOSE CTE-II (DxCTE-II) is focused on advancing scientific breakthroughs in detecting chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) during life. Our mission is to develop reliable diagnostic tools while exploring factors that influence who develops CTE and why.
In addition, DxCTE-II seeks to compare CTE with Alzheimer’s disease to gain a deeper understanding of their differences, with the goal of improving diagnosis and treatment strategies.
Interested in participating? Visit diagnosecte.org.
BANK CTE
Location: National (study is open to U.S. residents only)
Seeking: Male and female subjects who are at least 40 years old, played a minimum of five years of an organized contact or collision sport including football, ice hockey, soccer, lacrosse, boxing, martial arts, rugby, wrestling, and extreme sports, with two of those years occurring at the high school level or higher, AND/OR served in the military. Law enforcement and first responders may be eligible.
You may also be eligible, as a control, if you have NOT sustained any type of repeated hits to the head or traumatic brain injury.
Participation includes an online survey, a blood draw, and co-enrollment in the Concussion & CTE Foundation Brain Donation Registry.
Goal: The BANK CTE study aims to identify a biomarker profile unique to CTE, which could help scientists eventually diagnose the disease in living patients through a simple blood test. If CTE can be diagnosed in life, then researchers can explore treatments, and hopefully a cure.
Interested in participating? Contact [email protected] and learn more at bankcte.org.
HITSS Study
Head Impact & Trauma Surveillance Study
Location: Entirely online at www.HITSS.org
Seeking: Anyone aged 40+ who played soccer or tackle football at any level – youth, high school, college or pro/elite. Participation is a fully-online survey that includes questionnaires on sports participation, medical history and behavior and mood, and brain games. It only takes approximately two hours to complete, and can be completed at any time and over several days, if desired. Participants are then asked to take a follow up assessment online one year later.
Goal: The major goal of HITSS is to answer questions about risks of developing later life brain health issues from repetitive head impacts in contact sports. To learn more or to participate click here.
Interested in participating? Contact [email protected].
HOPE CTE Study
Health Outreach Program for the Elderly
Location: Greater Boston
Seeking: Male and female subjects who are at least 50 years old, played a minimum of five years of football, MMA, boxing, rugby, soccer, or ice hockey, with two of those years occurring at the collegiate, semi-professional, or professional levels. Participants will have a two-day visit once a year to the BU School of Medicine to participate in a variety of tests, including a neurologic exam, memory and cognitive tests, mood and behavior questionnaires, a blood draw, and an MRI scan.
Goal: The HOPE Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) study is designed to develop methods of diagnosing CTE during life. This is an extension of the Health Outreach Program for the Elderly (HOPE) Study of the Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Center.
Interested in participating? Contact [email protected] or (617) 358-6545.
Athlete Brain Health & Aging Study
Athlete Brain Health & Aging Study
Location: National
Seeking: Former NFL players, former Division I college football players, and former male college athletes who never played contact sports.
Goal: The purpose of this research study is to use research to improve health and support the well-being of men of all ages. Previous research on brain health has focused on biological factors, but we know that a person’s psychology, personal beliefs, social groups, and surroundings are also fundamental for brain wellness. These psychosocial factors vary for different groups, such as among Black, White, and Latino men, but more must be understood about how these factors affect brain health. The goal of this study is to discover the effects these important factors have on brain aging to support people like you, your friends, family, and community members.
Interested in participating? Click here to learn more.
Click below to view studies that the Concussion & CTE Foundation® has completed recruiting for.
There are many ways you can help contribute to the Concussion & CTE Foundation. See how you can fundraise in your community and beyond to support our work.