Most people watching football this Thanksgiving will be interested in the on-field action, but a group of three doctors and two medical students — including one from OUWB — hope to draw attention to something else.

Specifically, the group wants to raise awareness of the relationship between the NFL, concussions, and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative disease characterized by a spectrum ranging from cognitive and behavioral aberrations and has been linked to conditions such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.

And they’re doing something about it.

Led by OUWB M4 Mazen Zamzam, the group penned “The Correlations Between Concussions and CTE in the National Football League: Why Does Society Keep Promoting Sports with High CTE Rates?” The editorial recently was published in Cureus: Journal of Medical Science.

“As a medical student, I don’t have the kind of exposure to brain injuries that physicians and residents might have, but I felt the need to do whatever I can to raise awareness,” says Zamzam.

The hope, he adds, is that the more people talk about concussions and CTE, the more the NFL will feel pressured to keep taking steps to protect players.

‘Want to help make it better’

Zamzam says he has always been passionate about sports in general and that he loves football.

As an undergraduate at Wayne State University, he once had an assignment to write an essay on anything. After watching a documentary on the topic, Zamzam picked the NFL and head injuries.

“At the time, I didn’t even realize how prevalent of an issue it was,” he says.

As he has worked his way through medical school at OUWB, that’s all changed.

“My stance is that you can love something so much and hate to see what’s happening,” says Zamzam. “I want to help make it better. I want to see them take it more seriously.”

Zamzam initially ran his idea for the editorial by Ehab Saleh, M.D., an orthopaedic surgeon and assistant professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.

Saleh says even though the focus is on the NFL he supported the idea primarily “so parents can be informed about the risks associated with football before enrolling their kids in it.”

Zamzam recruited others to weigh in, too. They were Hashem Mohilldean, M.D., and Sazid Hasan, M.D. — both OUWB ’24 — and Kenan Sinan, a medical student at Wayne State University School of Medicine.

“We all watch the NFL regularly and see these things week-in and week-out that we think should be taken more seriously,” says Zamzam.

Enhanced understanding

The editorial notes that “a career in the NFL comes with significant health risks, particularly concussions and their long-term effects.”

Further, it lays out that repeated head traumas in the NFL can lead to CTE.

“Despite growing evidence, NFL officials have historically downplayed the connection between concussions and CTE, attributing symptoms to other factors such as performance-enhancing drugs,” the editorial states.

The editorial acknowledges that some steps have been taken to protect players. This includes the requirement that non-NFL-related neurologists be involved in assessing players for concussion and giving players the option to use Guardian Caps, which add a layer of protection to traditional helmets.

But the editorial claims more can be done.

“The most effective approach to combating CTE involves early detection through MRI brain scans, which are a potential method for identifying the disease in living patients and subsequently facilitating early intervention,” according to the editorial.

The piece also calls on the NFL to “acknowledge the clear link between concussions and CTE and to invest in comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic strategies such as new monoclonal antibody therapies.”

“Despite ethical and technical challenges, such as the use of embryonic stem cells and the risks associated with radioactive scans, advancing these methods could save lives and improve the long-term health outcomes of current and former NFL players,” says the editorial.

“Enhanced understanding and proactive management of CTE are crucial for mitigating the severe impact of concussions in professional football,” it adds.

Looking ahead

Zamzam says it will be hard to gauge the effectiveness of the editorial and that the overall goal is to contribute to raising awareness.

As a medical student, he says it has helped him further understand the importance of advocating for patients.

“Someone’s entrusted you with their life...you owe it to them to do everything possible to protect them, even if it’s an NFL player in front of you begging to get back on the field,” he says.

Saleh credited the team for putting the editorial together and getting it published.

“They did an excellent job explaining the risks of CTE and its long-term consequences,” he says. “It shows great maturity on their part tackling this issue, given the popularity of the sport.”

For more information, contact Andrew Dietderich, senior marketing specialist, OUWB, at [email protected].

To request an interview, visit the OUWB Communications & Marketing webpage.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.