Advertisement

NFL group, company hope to test potential treatment for brain injuries

A potential treatment for traumatic brain injuries may be tested in retired professional football players, who are the focus of concern over blows to the head.
A potential treatment for traumatic brain injuries may be tested in retired professional football players, who are the focus of concern over blows to the head. Michelle Lepianka Carter/AP Photo

NEW YORK – A potential treatment for traumatic brain injuries may be tested in retired professional football players, who are the focus of concern over blows to the head.

Neuralstem, Inc., of Rockville, Md., said Wednesday it is working with the National Football League Alumni Association to study the feasibility of such a test, which would need government approval. It would involve a drug that’s now in an early human trial for treating depression. In animal studies, the drug appeared to stimulate creation of brain cells.

The latest health and medical news emailed to you every Sunday.

Read more: Brain scan may detect brain disease in NFL players

Concern has mounted about brain injuries and disease in former NFL players, driven in part by some high-profile suicides. Thousands of former players are suing the league and its teams, saying that for years the NFL did not do enough to protect players from concussions.

Story continues below advertisement

Read more: NFL Players’ Association hands Harvard $100 million to study injury

Sponsored content

AdChoices