Tulsa study shows football players’ brains more likely to be impacted

College football players who have suffered a concussion have “significantly smaller” regions of the brain related to memory according to a study published Tuesday by the Journal of the American Medical Association.

In the field of concussion research and diagnosis the study results could be considered groundbreaking. The region of the brain affected – the hippocampus – is one of the first to suffer memory loss and disorientation if damaged. According to clinical descriptions, persons with extensive hippocampal damage may suffer amnesia.

Authors of the study called it the most comprehensive ever to assess the effects of football on college players.