Seattle Seahawk's owner Paul Allen helped launch the Allen Institute for Brain Science in 2003. Given the rise of concussion awareness in the NFL, he's now using his institute to further the study of concussions and their long term effects, The Seattle Times reported.
Rather than solve the issue on its own, the Allen Institute (and its vast resources) began a partnership with a host of other Seattle-based medical entities on Thursday, according to The Times. The research won't focus exclusively on athletes, and should hold implications for a wide variety of people suffering from brain injuries. One group the study will focus on is soldiers, who, like athletes, sustain an above average number of head injuries in a given year.
Their work will take a special look at one-time cases, even if they're mild, and their long term effects.
"If I get in a car accident in my 20s, does that mean I'm going to get dementia in my 70s?" asked Rich Ellenbogen, a neurosurgeon at the University of Washington. "Right now, we don't know."
The seeds of collaboration were planted after a meeting between Allen and Ellenbogen, who volunteers as an on field neurosurgeon for the Seahawks, last year. Allen, who built his current net worth of $15 billion through investments and Microsoft, has always had an interest in neuroscience. He's contributed $500 million to his self-named institute, according to The Times.
"I think we can answer some of these questions better than anybody else in the world because of the resources we have," said Dr. Eric Larson, whose involved in the study as VP of research for Group Health.
"He recognized the importance of this, and how many outstanding questions there are," Kathy Richmond, science officer for the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, said of her boss. "He's interested in getting to those answers, no matter what they are."
The NFL paid former players affected by concussions $750 million earlier this year as the league continues to work through past and current problems with concussions.
