What is a Concussion? With Neil deGrasse Tyson, Leonard Marshall, & Heather Berlin

What is CTE? On this episode, Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly discuss concussions and emerging information on chronic traumatic encephalopathy with former NFL lineman Leonard Marshall and neuroscientist Heather Berlin, PhD.

What is it like to sue the NFL? We break down Leonard’s journey with brain injury, his book When The Cheering Stops, and some of the inequities within the league. Why are football careers notoriously short? We know how many tackles Leonard had, but how many times was he tackled? Should that be a stat? Neil makes a calculation of how much energy it would’ve been to be hit by Leonard in his prime.

What does it feel like to get diagnosed with a disease normally identified during autopsy? Leonard details his journey to diagnosis, his thinking about the future, and what eventually led to his advocacy. How is CTE different from a concussion? What cultural changes need to be made to help current and future players? Do football pads actually make the game more dangerous?

Next, Heather helps us understand the neuroscience behind CTE. How do tau proteins in the brain contribute to neuronal death? Learn about the difference between white matter and gray matter. What does repeated head trauma do that a single concussion doesn’t? Can the brain feel pain when it’s injured? We explore brain mapping, developing experiments for neuroscience research, and why the brain can’t rewire in cases of CTE. Finally, will we be seeing our heads treated differently in sports going forward?

Thanks to our Patrons Walter Johnson, Ali AlWaheedy, Armen Gevorgyan, Jenny K Leasure, WIGwigWIG, Denny, MaKayla A Holloway, Anna Dupre-Whiting, Allain Brideau, and David for supporting us this week.

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Get Leonard Marshall's Book 'When The Cheering Stops': https://amzn.to/3GFEcUk

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Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up!

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0:00 - Introduction
4:16 - Part 1 w/ Leonard Marshall
5:43 - When The Cheering Stops
10:13 - Compensation in the NFL
12:05 - Getting Hit
17:30 - Leonard & Heather
19:43 - Leonard Marshall’s Diagnosis
25:40 - Concussions and CTE
30:13 - How Many NFL Players Have CTE?
36:37 - Concussion Legacy Foundation
38:17 - CTE Advocacy
41:05 - Part 2 w/ Dr. Heather Berlin
42:30 - Diagnosing CTE
44:13 - Head Trauma & TAU Proteins
50:33 - Can The Brain Feel Pain?
53:32 - Brain Regeneration
54:40 - What We Don’t Know About The Brain
57:13 - Leonard Marshall’s Case
1:00:43 - Closing Notes