Confirmed Link Between CTE and Football Highlights Need For Research, Treatment

ORLANDO, Fla. - March 17, 2016 - PRLog -- Statements this week by the NFL's top health and safety executive confirm what many doctors, scientists and researchers already know: there is a direct link between football-related head trauma and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. While this was the first time the league acknowledged football's connection to the brain disease-which can only be diagnosed after death-many doctors know the devastating reality for those patients living with traumatic brain injuries, and some, like Dr. Matthew Antonucci, are using cutting-edge science to help identify and treat it.

A concussion is caused by a rapid change in velocity of the head that compromises neurological activity, with or without a direct impact; it can cause headache or head pressure, nausea, dizziness or disorientation, sensitivity to light, changes in balance or ability to think, or sleep disturbances. It can impact memory and emotional state and cause anxiety or depression.

"Recent studies have demonstrated long-term neurological changes years after concussion symptoms abate," said Antonucci, Director of Neurological Performance and Rehabilitation at Plasticity Brain Centers. "As a preliminary effort to detect and prevent CTE, we should at least observe, quantify and compare neurological function against a baseline, even in the absence of symptoms."

As evidence of long-term concussion damage grows, clinical neuroscience is an emerging treatment option, especially for proactive patients and those whose symptoms have plateaued with prior treatment.

Neuroplasticity is a scientifically proven concept in modern medicine. It's based on the ability of the brain to learn, change and improve through targeted therapies and exercises. In simple terms, it is repairing and strengthening injured functions of the brain through repetitive, personalized treatment programs.

In April, Antonucci will present to the Allegheny Health Network's Orthopaedic Update 2016 to discuss concussion and neuroplasticity. (http://cmetracker.net/AHN/Files/Brochures/20876.pdf)

Plasticity Brain Centers offers non-invasive neuro-rehabilitation based on a single scientific principle: the brain is capable of learning and changing throughout a patient's life. This is made possible through engagement with targeted neuro-receptors; known as "neuroplasticity," this approach is widely accepted by the scientific community and only available in leading-edge treatment centers. The Centers' board-certified doctors and specialists provide an innovative and comprehensive diagnostic and treatment model delivering exceptional outcomes to exceptional patients, unleashing the brain's potential now.