Alan Pearce

YouTube video by The 286 Project Alan Pearce - Changing the culture around brain injury in sport

This episode discusses the effects of concussion on athletes in the long term, the development of #CTE and motor neuron disease in athletes and the effects within sport to take concussion seriously.

#286podcast #concussion #sport #CTE #MND #podcast

youtu.be/4upKu3z1cxs?...

Neuroscientist calls for doctors at games following Katoa concussions A leading concussion expert calls for sporting bodies to strengthen their protocols on players who are concussed before and during matches.

"Concussion protocols should be strengthened following Eliesa Katoa incident, neuroscientist says"

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11...

Study Reveals Brain Damage in Rugby Players New study detects early brain damage in rugby players using blood biomarkers and MRI scans. Keep reading for details.

"Evidence of brain damage in rugby players has been uncovered in a study using advanced imaging & blood biomarkers. Researchers found signs of neurodegeneration & structural brain changes in mid-life former elite athletes, despite no current diagnoses of dementia"
www.emjreviews.com/neurology/ne...

“Swinburne University Professor Alan Pearce said the Katoa incident should be a wake-up call to the code to improve their player safety as scrutiny centres on the forward being allowed to play in the game even after a brutal hit in the warm-up.”
www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/nrl/he...

“Katoa was in all sorts of strife sitting on the Tongan bench in the 2nd half after copping several hits to the head. He was later taken on a medicab for further assessment. Medical officials put an oxygen mask on Katoa’s face and covered him with a team jacket.” www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/nr...

LIVE: Superstar forward survives pre-game scare, passed fit after brutal hit by teammate in warm up LIVE: Superstar forward survives pre-game scare, passed fit after brutal hit by teammate in warm up

"Katoa copped a nasty hit from teammate Hopoate as the two contested a ball in the warm up but was passed fit to play. The back rower then copped an accidental elbow from a teammate in the 10th min and came off for a HIA but passed that & returned to the game."
www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-prem...

Yes, cricket is a contact sport. We have safety gear – but we need to do more The death of a 17-year-old community cricket player has raised questions about how well helmets and neck protectors are working.

"Devices such as neck protectors can mitigate risks–but they need to be normalised at all levels of sport. To do this, CA should mandate their use at the community level...we need prominent & charismatic athletes to break the stigma associated with their use"
theconversation.com/yes-cricket-...

‘His brain was shot to pieces’: The ex-Wallaby, the CTE diagnosis, and some comfort for his widow After his death last year, James Roxburgh was found to have had ‘high-level CTE’. The diagnosis confirmed what his widow, Carolyn, had known in her heart all along.

'His brain was shot to pieces’: The ex-Wallaby, the #CTE diagnosis, and some comfort for his widow.

www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-...

Rugby World Cup winner reveals MND diagnosis Lewis Moody, a former England rugby captain who helped his side win the 2003 World Cup, has been diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease.

Former England captain and World Cup winner Lewis Moody has revealed he has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease.

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...

To avoid concussions, Tua Tagovailoa now focuses on carbs and fluids On Monday night, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa took a blow to the head while sliding.

#concussion solved!

www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootb...

My latest #concusison paper, currently under peer review, but can viewed as a preprint here.

Long-Term Cumulative Effects of Repeated Concussions in #Cyclists - Alan J Pearce, Doug King
www.preprints.org/manuscript/2...

archive.md/GHaDu

Shane Christie, Billy Guyton and the brain injuries behind two rugby deaths They were best friends, who took their own lives, after the same career, within three years of each other and their families have questions

Billy Guyton and Shane Christie were Super Rugby players — and best mates. Both lost their lives to suicide after suffering head injuries.

Spoke to their families about the answers that exist, and whether they're being introduced quickly enough.

www.nytimes.com/athletic/666...

A year on from Muriel Furrer’s death, is cycling’s attitude to safety shifting? A sport that witnesses death too often needs change. There is no shortage of ideas but right now there is a lack of consensus

[Jonas] Vingegaard crashed at Paris-Nice. He did not compete for the next two months after suffering a #concussion, criticising the race doctors for not providing a head injury assessment after he fell, and allowing him to complete the remaining 84km of the stage.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/666...

Examiners confirm gunman who blamed NFL for brain injuries had CTE Medical examiners confirm the gunman who blamed the NFL for hiding brain injuries had CTE, after he left a note asking for his brain to be studied.

Dr Daniel Daneshvar, chief of brain injury rehabilitation and associate professor at Harvard University, said even a low-stage diagnosis of #CTE could be responsible for "behavioural changes and impulse control problems", which often progressed with age.

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09...

'I see retired AFL players who don’t remember their grand final day’
A leading sports neuroscientist has rubbished renewed calls to move the bye round to before the AFL grand final–following one of Geelong’s biggest stars being ruled out because of concussion
www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/afl/i-...

Leigh Matthews lashes AFL ‘bozos’ after key Cat Stewart ruled out of grand final Prominent footy figures join the push for a pre-grand final bye after a devastating concussion ends Tom Stewart’s season. Leigh Matthews says it’s only matter of time before the AFL’s “slow-moving bur...

Former players turned commentators: #Concussion is a serious issue and player safety is important

Also: C'mon, we need to change the schedule so we can rush a player back from a *brain injury* to play for the cup

www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/to...

Stewart concussed in preliminary final, will miss the grand final if Cats make it The incident involving Tom Stewart will reignite the debate around the pre-finals bye and whether it should be switched to the week before the grand final.

"The incident involving Tom Stewart will reignite the debate around the pre-finals bye and whether it should be switched to the week before the grand final."

We seem to value limb injuries more than brain injuries. #concussion

www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/st...

AFL, Cats fail in bid to quash concussion class action A landmark concussion class action against the AFL and Geelong has been cleared to proceed, with the two parties given a sobering warning of how many players could eventually be involved.

"A landmark #concussion class action against the AFL and Geelong has been cleared to proceed, as the Cats were warned they could have up to 300 players who suffered brain injuries."
www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/af...

Journal of Neurotrauma flag 6 papers on q-collar brain "protection" device as expressions of concern.
www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1177/...

[Bugner’s] career spanned 32 years ended in 1999, by which time he had relocated to Australia, where he spent the final years of his life in a care home after being diagnosed with dementia

www.news.com.au/sport/boxing...

West Coast Eagles star posthumously diagnosed with CTE An examination of AFL premiership player Adam Hunter's brain, donated for research by his family, confirms he was suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

West Coast Eagles player Adam Hunter posthumously diagnosed with #CTE

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08...

Concussion recovery periods may be too short, new brain study suggests A leading neuroscientist has raised concerns about the length of mandatory concussion recovery periods after new research suggested the clearing of symptoms may not accurately reflect full brain recov...

#Concussion recovery periods may be too short, new brain study suggests.

A study involving athletes who suffered concussion has found just how long it seems it takes for the brain to recover — and it has led to a neuroscientist raising some serious concerns.

links.streem.com.au/herald-sun-2...

'Don't think anyone wanted to play': Head knock ends NFL clash early Detroit's Morice Norris is stable and moving his extremities after being taken to hospital following a frightening head knock during an NFL preseason game between the Lions and Atlanta Falcons.

Loss of consciousness, 20 minutes of treatment, match called off, but still called a 'head knock'.

#Media, do better please
#concussion #notaheadknock

@abcnewsbot.bsky.social

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08...

'I'm not anti-sport, I'm pro-athlete': Meet the expert calling out reckless sporting codes and deadly trends - ABC Pacific As viral trends like Run It Straight and backyard boxing grow in popularity, Pearce warns that society is becoming increasingly comfortable with brain trauma and that’s putting young people at risk.

From From Run It Straight trends to #concussion as toughness, we're normalising #brain trauma for our kids

ABC Pacific Pulse @abcnewsbot.bsky.social

#cte #braindamage #podcast #abcnews #Australia

www.abc.net.au/pacific/prog...

Country footballers desperate for concussion treatment book out clinic Jeremy Rodi would forget how he spent the day before seeking treatment for concussion. Now a treatment clinic has opened in his home town of Bendigo in regional Victoria.

"Community clubs around Victoria and Australia really need to be developing relationships with their local #concussion clinics and doctors in order to be able to look after their players properly,” concussion researcher Dr Pearce said

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07...

@abcnewsbot.bsky.social

Whatever happens to Steven May, response to bump shows language and attitudes are changing It’s now up to the tribunal to decide Steven May’s fate after his sickening collision with Francis Evans. But there was ample evidence in the aftermath that attitudes about these types of incidents ha...

Why is it that credit for change towards concussion/CTE is always given to "former players" or the AFL rather than the scientists who actually did the work and advocated for change? #Askingforafriend

www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/de...

YouTube video by A Current Affair Teen left with debilitating condition after horror bus crash

But according to neurophysiologist Alan Pearce, they're not alone, "I see this alot with athletes who have a #concussion, as well as another injury, and that other injury tends to get prioritised, and the concussion gets overlooked."

#postconcussionsyndrome

youtu.be/iRVMpoB2mjY?...

I’ve seen the brain damage contact sports can cause – we all need to take concussion and CTE more seriously If more isn’t done to combat concussion and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, more families will be grieving tragic deaths.

"Yet for all the progress [on concussion] made by many sports in recent years, it feels like we still have not fully grasped the understanding of CTE – or maybe we don’t want to."

My new opinion piece in The Conversation Australia

theconversation.com/ive-seen-the...

Run It Straight: The push to turn a backyard tackle game into a global sport As hype over the game grows, so do concerns about the potential for brain injuries.

Neuroscientist Pearce argues RunIt magnifies "the most violent aspects of our established sport", while safety protocols do little to minimise any risk. "[They're] basically using the collision as the entertainment value, which is, in effect, commercialising #concussion"
www.bbc.com/news/article...