澳大利亚足球运动员Nathan Fitzgerald在一场比赛中头部遭受三次击打后不幸去世[1]，引发了对运动脑损伤问题的广泛关注。Swinburne University of Technology神经科学家、兼职教授Alan Pearce在长达二十多年的运动相关头部损伤研究基础上，阐述了这一问题的根本原因与防控路径。
Pearce指出，慢性创伤性脑病（CTE）是一种神经退行性疾病，由重复的亚并发症冲击引起[1]。患者群体不仅包括职业运动员，还涵盖军人以及从未患过脑震荡但头部经历过数百或数千次重复冲击的人群[1]。有效的防控方案并非寄希望于高新技术或禁止接触性运动，而是通过修改运动规则来减少冲击暴露，尤其要重点保护儿童、青少年和训练阶段的运动参与者[1]。
The death of Australian footballer Nathan Fitzgerald following three head impacts during a match has prompted renewed attention to the prevention of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in sport. [1] According to neuroscientist Alan Pearce from Swinburne University of Technology, who has spent more than two decades researching sports-related head injuries, CTE is a neurodegenerative disease caused by repeated subconcussive impacts rather than single traumatic events. [1]
The condition affects not only professional athletes but also military personnel and domestic violence survivors who have experienced hundreds or thousands of cumulative head impacts without necessarily suffering diagnosed concussions. [1] Pearce argues that the solution to reducing brain injury in sport lies not in technological interventions but in modifying sports rules to minimize impact exposure, with particular emphasis on protecting children, adolescents, and training environments. [1]
