Steve Thompson to donate brain for chronic traumatic encephalopathy research
This article is sourced from www.bbc.co.uk
Rugby World Cup winner Steve Thompson, who was diagnosed with dementia aged 42, will donate his brain to scientists researching brain trauma.
Former hooker Thompson played 195 times for Northampton Saints before moving to France to play for Brive. He won 73 England caps, and three for the British and Irish Lions, in a nine-year international career.
He first retired in 2007 because of a serious neck injury but was given the all-clear to return, before being forced to retire again in December 2011 with the same problem.
Before speaking out in 2020, Thompson was diagnosed by neurologists at King's College, London, with early-onset dementia and probable CTE.
Thompson said he has experienced "massive guilt for what I've put my family through" since being diagnosed and that he has "massive downers and massive ups".
"Now we know and we're talking to specialists, we understand what the symptoms are and we're working round that," he added.
"The more people that come forward, the more people we can help and show they're not alone."
Thompson said it did not take long for him and his wife Steph to decide to donate his brain.
"When I had the diagnosis I was all over the place and my family was all over the place," he explained.
"I came across Dawn and [executive director of CLF UK] Dr Adam [White] and they put everything in place.
"They made me feel like I wasn't alone. When it came to it, it's just whose hands do you put that brain into."
Dr Gabriele DeLuca, who will lead the new brain bank, said brain donation would help "develop tailored interventions and treatments" to prevent the "devastating consequences" of CTE.
Researchers will seek to learn how to treat common symptoms of CTE, including problems with thinking, memory, mood and sleep.
Dr Adam White, executive director of CLF UK, said the organisation aims "to stop all new cases of CTE in the next five years and have a cure by 2040".
CLF UK is encouraging athletes and military veterans to donate their brains to CTE research.
What is CTE?
CTE can develop when the brain is subjected to numerous small blows or rapid movements - sometimes known as sub-concussions - and is associated with symptoms such as memory loss, depression and progressive dementia.
Sub-concussions cannot be detected on the pitch or in any post-match examination.
The disease can only be diagnosed in a brain after death, but some experts believe if history of exposure is evaluated, it is reasonable to conclude that the risk increases.
It has been found in the brains of dozens of former NFL players, as well as a handful of deceased footballers.