Commencement of Screening

30 January, 2016 – The International Concussion and Head Injury Research Foundation (‘ICHIRF’), an international initiative looking at the long-term effects of concussion in men and women who have competed in impact sports, announces it has now screened its first patient as part of its concussion research study.
The ICHIRF research project is an initial three year study, seeking to establish whether there is an increased incidence of neuro-degenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease and the condition currently described as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
The study will initially focus on retired jockeys, and among the first volunteers to take part in screening is Richard Dunwoody. Dunwoody was Champion Jockey three times, won the Grand National twice, as well as the Cheltenham Gold Cup and Champion Hurdle. Richard was awarded the MBE for services to his sport in 1993.
Retired sportsmen and sportswomen from all sports can already enroll in the research project and ICHIRF is also appealing to members of the public who have never had a concussion to contribute to the study as the ‘control group’. The ‘control’ volunteers are essential to the overall credibility of the research and will enable a matched age, and gender, comparison to be made with the concussed volunteers.