SPECT imaging shows abnormally low blood flow in the brains of current and retired National Football League (NFL) players, according to a new study to be published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical Center and other Southern California centers examined blood flow in every region of the brain in more than 150 players. Using a machine-learning technique, they found regions of hypoperfusion with nearly perfect accuracy.
While structural imaging studies of the same patients often appear normal, functional neuroimaging can both pinpoint areas of hypoperfusion and demonstrate improvement following successful brain rehabilitation treatments, said lead author Dr. Daniel Amen, from Amen Clinics in Costa Mesa, CA, in a statement.
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