The Drake Foundation
@thedrakefdn
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Bringing neuroscience to contact sport. We're trying to better understand long-term health issues in sport through research and collaboration.
London, England
Joined May 2015
We were so humbled to see this post from @Tommo33. We admire his bravery and what he’s done to alert the game we all love to the risks which haven’t been properly addressed yet.
I can't thank @jamesjpdrake enough for this painting. He has been an amazing friend and has done so much to make rugby safer. Using his own money. @thedrakefdn Only for the rugby authorities to throw it in his face. As they don't want to hear the truth. #thankyou #braininjury
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As an amateur artist, doing portraits gives me joy. Never more than this one of ‘friend of humanity’ @LewisMoody7, now displayed on his mother’s wall. We are there for you Lewis, now and always. xxx
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I am devastated to learn that Lewis Moody, one of the finest people you’ll ever meet, Ambassador of @thedrakefdn, has been diagnosed with MND - the muscle-wasting condition that took fellow rugby players Doddie Weir and Rob Burrow. https://t.co/3SdworwpbZ
bbc.co.uk
Former England captain Lewis Moody says in an exclusive BBC interview he has "a reluctance to look the future in the face".
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New study shows repetitive head impact (RHI) -driven cellular changes occur prior to CTE development & in young brains. A 2021 @thedrakefdn study showed 23% of 44 elite rugby players had white matter damage. When will rugby authorities wake up & reduce impacts?
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New Nature paper: https://t.co/hYb4hIGLPe… 2021 Drake Foundation study: https://t.co/mAxZ7yFI6K…
academic.oup.com
Using advanced neuroimaging techniques to study a group of professional rugby players, Zimmerman et al. report evidence of both cross-sectional and longitu
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We know that cerebral blood flow reductions and vascular dysfunction can be key early features in neurodegenerative diseases. So the 2021 finding of either axonal injury or diffuse vascular injury in the brains of 10/44 elite rugby players needs further investigation.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Adequate supply of blood and structural and functional integrity of blood vessels are key to normal brain functioning. On the other hand, cerebral blood flow shortfalls and blood-brain barrier...
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Today’s elite rugby union players are at least aware of the risks to long-term brain health. It was far less clear after the game went professional (1995) but it doesn’t diminish the responsibility of those who run the game. https://t.co/mAxZ7yFI6K
academic.oup.com
Using advanced neuroimaging techniques to study a group of professional rugby players, Zimmerman et al. report evidence of both cross-sectional and longitu
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1 in 8 women were victims of domestic crime, sexual abuse or stalking in the last year. Separately the Drake IPV Study showed ongoing mental health disorders remained elevated even 27 years after abuse stopped. https://t.co/7EqJWSJohG
https://t.co/pJcDr7v678
mentalhealth.bmj.com
Background Approximately 30% of women experience intimate partner violence (IPV) in their lifetime, often with traumatic brain injury (TBI) exposure. Nevertheless, there has been limited research...
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Now that all this MRI data is being generated for the population as a whole, it is vital that contact sport starts to collect baseline MRI data for players who request it. https://t.co/ZepUEI8EBD
news.sky.com
The UK Biobank has now scanned 100,000 people, taking recordings of hearts, brains, blood vessels and bones. As the world's most comprehensive human imaging project, it's providing insights into...
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📢 New in BMJ Mental Health: This article presents a study investigating the long-term mental health outcomes associated with intimate partner violence & traumatic brain injury in midlife individuals. To access the full article, please use the link below: https://t.co/zz7R18SnLg
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Here is the first publication from the Drake IPV Study published online in BMJ Mental Health: Article:
mentalhealth.bmj.com
Background Approximately 30% of women experience intimate partner violence (IPV) in their lifetime, often with traumatic brain injury (TBI) exposure. Nevertheless, there has been limited research...
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Prof. William Stewart, coauthor of The Drake IPV Study, discusses the long-term implications of intimate partner violence for brain health. The study of 632 adults showed ongoing mental health disorders remained elevated even 27 years after abuse stopped. @WillStewNeuro
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Here is the first publication from the Drake IPV Study published online in BMJ Mental Health: Article:
mentalhealth.bmj.com
Background Approximately 30% of women experience intimate partner violence (IPV) in their lifetime, often with traumatic brain injury (TBI) exposure. Nevertheless, there has been limited research...
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The Drake IPV Study ( https://t.co/gw9wiRo7AU) found that women who experienced physical abuse in the context of domestic violence are more likely to suffer from long-term mental health challenges, even decades after the abuse has ended. Find the link here:
independent.co.uk
A new study from the University of Glasgow explored the mental health consequences associated with domestic violence.
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The World Rugby brain health service found 25% of ex-players ‘at risk’ of problems. A 2021 study funded by @thedrakefdn found 23% of elite players (10/44) showed white matter damage, av age 25. https://t.co/mAxZ7yFI6K
https://t.co/W3iMgWAkLc
theguardian.com
One quarter of a group of former elite rugby union players who have participated in World Rugby’s new brain health service programme have been identified as being ‘at risk’
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Yet another elite rugby player, only 47, facing brain health issues. When will they deal with this by reducing cumulative impacts, which is fundamental? https://t.co/dxGiijXlmi
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Our Drake Football Study tracks 170+ footballers long term: we're uncovering crucial data on physical & mental health in men's & women's football. Partnering with the likes of @FIFPRO to improve player wellbeing is why I established @DrakeFoundation. #FootballResearch
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The Drake Football Study funded by my @thedrakefdn is a long-term project tracking the physical & mental health of 170 men & women footballers: the only way to properly understand the later-life health impact of contact sport. https://t.co/eK0SnrjSv7
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Tom Curry has sustained multiple concussions during his rugby career. One in Sept 2024 with Sale Sharks, another in Nov 2024 with England, where his head collided with Rob Valetini’s knee. This incident marked his 5th known concussion in 2 years.
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We now know that the fundamental brain health issue in collision sports is cumulative intensity of impacts. It’s easy to say (without proper evidence) “he’s recovered from concussion” but harder to dismiss the cumulative effects of thousands of impacts.
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When you see this film, made almost a decade ago, you wonder how rugby union has continued without fundamental changes in cumulative impacts. All the more so from our data which showed white matter damage in 23% of 44 elite players: https://t.co/4yNKygY7oU
https://t.co/mAxZ7yGfWi
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