BRAIN ‘MOT’
Initiative will help ex-Scots stars detect signs of dementia ++ Clinic set to open at BT Murrayfield
Former Scotland international rugby players are to be offered a confidential ‘brain health moT’ as part of a major new initiative to try and reduce the risk of dementia through lifestyle changes.
Three former Scotland captains — Gordon Bulloch and Chris Paterson of the men’s team, and Jilly mcCord of the women’s side — have already signed up to take part in the new programme that includes brain scans and blood tests as well as consultations at a soon-to-be-opened brain health clinic inside BT murrayfield.
Scottish rugby’s chief medical officer Doctor James robson, the man behind the initiative, said: ‘While a lot is known about physical and mental health, the health of our brain is an area we continue to learn more about.
‘The clinic is a groundbreaking and essential step in taking that understanding further, and supporting those who have played rugby as they enter later life.’
The attempts to lessen the chance of players being diagnosed with dementia follows growing concern that there is a direct link between the disease and players picking up head knocks in rugby.
There have been on-field initiatives, with World rugby chiefs instructing referees to dish out red cards for dangerous tackles to the head in an attempt to cut down on brain injuries.
An example of that came last weekend when edinburgh second-row marshall Sykes was red-carded for striking the head of Zebre’s Danilo Fischetti with his shoulder.
The rule changes have been welcomed but have come too late for the older generation who have retired. Sportsmail revealed back in 2020 that 1984 Grand Slam legend roy Laidlaw felt part of the reason he had been diagnosed with dementia was due to him picking up so many head knocks in matches.
Former england international hooker Steve Thompson has taken legal action against the rFU after he was diagnosed with early onset dementia at the age of just 42 and although there are no legal cases in Scotland, there are others being raised in New Zealand and Australia, and in other sports such as American football.
Doctor robson and Professor Craig ritchie, Professor of Psychiatry of Ageing at the University of edinburgh, want to reduce the chances of players getting dementia once they retire, or at the very least spot the symptoms early.
With that in mind, they have put together a detailed assessment programme in conjunction with Alzheimer Scotland, the University of edinburgh, Brain Health Scotland and World rugby, especially targeting those players between the ages of 40 and 60.
every player involved will be sent a 32-page confidential questionnaire asking them about nutrition, exercise, sleep, education, outside interests, alcohol intake, smoking and drug behaviour and how susceptible they are to pain.
They will also be asked if they use drugs, how many servings of butter they have a day, how often they see their friends, if they have bad dreams and whether they get ‘wound up’ easily.
once they have their blood tested and brains scanned, all the information will be collated and they will be called to a private meeting with specialists to discuss the findings.
The players involved will go on to see a clinician at least three times over several months, with their GP notified of the outcome of all the tests.
The pioneering project is being looked on as a blueprint for a service that will be developed by the NHS for the public and will be rolled out nationally by 2025.
Doctor robson and Professor ritchie admit that most of the initial advice is based on common sense such as eating well, taking exercise, not smoking and reducing alcohol intake, but many do not realise there were specific symptoms linked to brain health.
‘Yes, there are common sense matters like good diet, exercise, what is good for your heart is good for your brain,’ said Professor ritchie. ‘But there are other points that are more symptom specific to brain health that we will also be looking at, such as stress, depression, social isolation, sleep, hearing loss.
‘We will drill down quite deeply on these things and we also want to get the message out there about the risk factors to brain health. For instance, when I gave a presentation to the rugby Players Association in January last year, attended by hundreds of rugby players, they hadn’t realised there were symptom specific issues for brain health.’
Former Scotland international mcCord, 44, who made her debut as Scotland captain against Canada in 2007, said: ‘It’s great to see Scottish rugby, alongside medical partners, take such a proactive approach to the long-term health of current and former players.’