UFC today announced a multiyear extension of its longstanding collaboration with Cleveland Clinic, continuing its support of the Professional Athletes Brain Health Study through 2030.
WWE and Zuffa Boxing will also join the study through athlete participation and financial support.
This renewed commitment, which is backed by a $1 million contribution from UFC to the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, ensures that research will continue to help determine the long-term effects of repetitive head trauma and factors that put people at higher risk of developing chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Since joining the landmark study in 2011, UFC has committed more than $3 million via four rounds of financial support.
Now entering its 15th year, this study, led by Charles Bernick, M.D., senior director of Cognitive Disorders at Cleveland Clinic Nevada, is the largest focused on professional athletes who have been exposed to repetitive head trauma and the first to include retired and active male and female athletes concurrently.
“We are proud to renew our commitment to supporting Cleveland Clinic’s groundbreaking work,” said UFC Chief Operating Officer Lawrence Epstein. “The research conducted by Dr. Bernick and his team is helping identify early indicators of potential health issues and giving athletes access to information that can help support informed decisions about their health, safety, and long-term well-being during their active careers and beyond.”
The Professional Athletes Brain Health Study (formerly the Professional Fighters Brain Health Study) was established in 2011 to examine the cumulative effects of repetitive concussive and sub-concussive impacts to the brain in a group of professional fighters.
The study has since expanded to include athletes in other sports exposed to repetitive head impacts, including professional bull riders, hockey players and motorsports drivers. Information from this project will help guide policies and practices that can improve brain health in athletes and other people exposed to repetitive head impacts in military or civilian populations.
“As we mark the 15th year of the Professional Athletes Brain Health Study, this renewal represents more than a milestone and underscores the unique value of a study built on longevity,” said Charles Bernick, M.D., Senior Director, Cognitive Disorders, Cleveland Clinic Nevada, and founder and primary investigator of the Professional Athletes Brain Health Study. “Following athletes over many years allows us to directly observe how conditions such as CTE develop over time and why long-term outcomes can differ so widely from one individual to another. That level of insight is only possible through sustained partnerships, and the UFC’s long-standing support has been essential to the success and continued impact of this research.”
“By expanding our partnership with Cleveland Clinic’s Professional Athletes Brain Health Study, we have an opportunity to contribute to meaningful research that reflects the unique demands placed on athletes,” said Nick Khan, WWE President and TKO Board Member. “Through this partnership with Cleveland Clinic, we can help advance the science of brain health and apply those insights to support future athlete safety.”
UFC’s commitment to aid in the funding of the Professional Athletes Brain Health Study is provided in conjunction with other organizations in the sports industry and facilitates ongoing progress in answering critical questions regarding the long-term effects of exposure to repetitive head impacts.
To date, the Professional Athletes Brain Health Study has enrolled more than 900 active and retired athletes. Participation is voluntary. Athletes in the study receive free, ongoing assessments of brain health and function, including MRI scans. Individual tests are repeated annually.
The longer an athlete is assessed, the more valuable the information that will be amassed. However, during the past 15 years, researchers have already detected subtle effects of repetitive head impacts on brain structure and proteins released in the blood following impact. These changes can be measured over time and may be early indicators of brain injury, bringing researchers one step closer to helping athletes proactively make informed decisions about their careers based on personal brain health data.
As the study enters the next decade of research, investigators will focus on lifestyle factors to better understand how one’s environment impacts the onset of CTE pathology, as well as continue the search for more precise predictive or diagnostic biomarkers and embark on testing of new treatments.
The Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation, Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the United States.
Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, which opened in 2009, provides expert diagnosis and treatment for individuals and families living with Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy body, frontotemporal and other dementias; Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease, multiple system atrophy and other movement disorders; and multiple sclerosis. With locations in Cleveland, OH; Weston, Florida; and headquarters in Las Vegas, Nevada, the center offers a continuum of care with no-cost opportunities for the community to participate in education and research, including disease prevention studies and clinical trials of promising new medications.
