Irish scientists identify link between head injuries in contact sports and Alzheimer's and dementia

Repetitive head injuries in sports such as rugby can lead to poor brain health, researchers found. File picture: Diarmuid Greene/Sportsfile 

Irish scientists have identified the mechanism linking poor brain health to sports injuries in contact sports such as rugby and boxing.

The research, by teams at Trinity College Dublin and the FutureNeuro Research Ireland Centre, has identified a breakdown in the blood-brain barrier (BBB) between repetitive head injuries and long-term health issues, including Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.