Concussion – why we should remain skeptical

This past weekend I saw Concussion.  The movie, while well done, left me conflicted as a scientist.  As I often do after seeing movies based on true stories, I searched the internet for a good commentary.  I found this article – Concussion Lies. I suspect this article has significant biases, however, we should all remain skeptical because the science described in the movie involves correlation rather than causation.  Dr. Omalu discovered a pathological finding associated with football players.  He studied football players who had committed suicide or died in other violent ways.  He then made a cognitive leap and blamed their recent personality changes and deteriorations on the pathological findings. His deductions, while logical, do not meet a rigorous requirement for an evidence based pronouncement.  The author of the above article gives an alternate view of the epidemiological data.  In fact, former NFL players have a lower suicide rate than age-matched comparators.   They live longer than average. The movie presents a moving heart tugging story that argues for blanket acceptance of CTE as a major fact.  CTE likely exists, but in what ways does it impact its victims. Movies do a wonderful job of convincing us of theories.  But after reading the Slate article, I understand my initial skepticism.  Today I remain skeptical and would like to know more about the spectrum of CTE. Scientific thinking requires us to question every proclamation that physicians and...
Source: DB's Medical Rants - Category: Internal Medicine Authors: Tags: Medical Rants Source Type: blogs