This thought was triggered by a recent news articles on the effects of sports injuries on the brain and how they are regularly missed (and mistreated).
Here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/16/sports/football/16concussions.html?hp
It’s a sad story, but I probably won’t tell it accurately because it’s a story I have only heard fourth-hand.
A researcher is scanning the brain of a someone (e.g. fMRI research). The brain of the student is basically smooth, the sulci and fissures of his cortex are hard to distinguish because they’re so fine.
So, naturally, the researcher is perplexed, and for safety purposes, brings in a radiologist to see the images.
They bring the student out, and the radiologist eventually discovers that the student plays university football.
As I understand this anecdote, through various retellings, this is a normal image for someone who has subjected themselves to head trauma for years and years and years.
Moral of the story: My kid won’t be playing football.
