Researchers at Boston University want to examine the brain of former Patriots player Junior Seau.
According to NBC Sports, doctors from Boston University’s Center for Traumatic Encephalopathy are interested in examining Seau’s brain for evidence of trauma to see if there is a connection between depression and concussions sustained during time on the playing field.
Seau, who reportedly took his own life Wednesday in Oceanside, Calif. by shooting himself in the chest, “will give a very noticeable face to a cause which has gone largely unnoticed or ignored by NFL fans,” Metro reported today.
In 2010, researchers from BU’s Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy looked at the brain of University of Pennsylvania player Owen Thomas after he took his own life.
A team of top researchers found that Thomas suffered from mild stages of degenerative brain disease caused by repetitive concussions — despite concussion-free medical records.
Dr. Robert Stern, who led the team at the center, said research determined that the football player’s suicide may have been caused by brain trauma.
