Study finds pattern in brain injuries linked to contact sports

BOSTON (Reuters) – Years of hits to the head in football or other contact sports lead to a distinct pattern of brain damage that begins with an athlete having trouble focusing and can eventually progress to aggression and dementia, a study released on Monday says. Researchers examining the brains of 85 former athletes and soldiers who sustained multiple mild head injuries over their lives found the condition they developed, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, came in an "ordered and predictable" four-stage pattern. …