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Chris Nowinski: Can I have your brain? The quest for truth on concussions and CTE
Chris Nowinski: ¿Me donas tu cerebro? Descifrando la encefalopatía crónica traumática
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Algo extraño y mortal está ocurriendo dentro de los cerebros de los mejores atletas. Se trata de una condición degenerativa, posiblemente vinculada con lesiones concusivas causantes de demencia, psicosis y una muerte prematura. Es conocida como encefalopatía crónica traumática (ETC), y es el misterio médico que Chris Nowinski quiere resolver analizando cerebros después de la muerte. Por eso, cuando Chris Nowinsku conoce a un atleta profesional, su primera pregunta es: "¿Puedes donarme tu cerebro?". Escucha más de este esfuerzo pionero para proteger los cerebros de los atletas, y el tuyo, también.
Chris Nowinski - Social entrepreneur
Dr. Chris Nowinski is leading a global conversation on concussions, CTE and the future of sports. Full bio
Dr. Chris Nowinski is leading a global conversation on concussions, CTE and the future of sports. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
I'm Chris Nowinski, and odds are
if you've met me in the last five years
if you've met me in the last five years
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Soy Chris Nowinski, y estarían extrañados
si me hubieran conocido hace cinco años.
si me hubieran conocido hace cinco años.
00:16
I've asked you, after a few minutes,
a bit of an odd question:
a bit of an odd question:
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Habría hecho, tras un par de minutos,
una pregunta un poco rara:
una pregunta un poco rara:
00:20
Can I have your brain?
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"¿Me donas tu cerebro?"
00:22
Now, it only seems like a strange question
if you don't know my story
if you don't know my story
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Parece una pregunta extraña
si no saben mi historia.
si no saben mi historia.
00:25
so please let me share it with you.
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Por favor, permítanme compartirla.
00:28
I grew up outside of Chicago,
and I was an athlete
and I was an athlete
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Crecí a las afueras de Chicago
y era atleta.
y era atleta.
00:31
and I was very lucky to get recruited
to play football at Harvard University.
to play football at Harvard University.
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Tuve la suerte de ser reclutado para
jugar al futbol en Harvard.
jugar al futbol en Harvard.
00:36
So that's me.
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Ese soy yo.
00:37
And then after graduating,
like most Harvard graduates,
like most Harvard graduates,
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Después de graduarme,
como la mayoría en Harvard,
como la mayoría en Harvard,
00:40
I decided I wanted to join the WWE.
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decidí unirme a la productora WWE.
00:43
So that's also me.
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Ese también soy yo.
00:44
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
00:47
Sure you remember me
from Monday Night Raw in 2002 and 2003,
from Monday Night Raw in 2002 and 2003,
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Seguro que me recuerdan del
Monday Night Raw de 2002 a 2003.
Monday Night Raw de 2002 a 2003.
00:50
and I had a blast
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Me lo pasé genial
00:52
playing what people
affectionately like to call
affectionately like to call
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jugando a ser lo que la gente
le gusta llamar
le gusta llamar
00:55
Chris Harvard, the Ivy League snob.
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Chris Harvard, el snob de la liga.
00:57
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
00:59
It was perfect for me.
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Era perfecto para mí.
01:00
But unfortunately,
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Pero desafortunadamente,
01:02
I got kicked in the head
by my colleague Bubba Ray Dudley,
by my colleague Bubba Ray Dudley,
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fui golpeado en la cabeza
por mi colega Bubba Ray Dudley,
por mi colega Bubba Ray Dudley,
01:06
and I suffered a severe concussion.
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y sufrí un traumatismo craneal severo.
01:08
And it led to what became
permanent postconcussion symptoms:
permanent postconcussion symptoms:
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Que derivó en lo que se convirtió en
síntoma permanentes de postraumatismo:
síntoma permanentes de postraumatismo:
01:12
constant headaches, inability to sleep,
depression, feeling in a fog.
depression, feeling in a fog.
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constantes dolores de cabeza, insomnio,
depresión, dificultad para pensar.
depresión, dificultad para pensar.
01:17
And in that first year,
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Y en este primer año,
01:18
I tried to figure out
how could I make this pain go away.
how could I make this pain go away.
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traté de descifrar cómo hacer
para que ese dolor desapareciera.
para que ese dolor desapareciera.
01:22
And I wasn't getting
the answers I needed from doctors,
the answers I needed from doctors,
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No lograba las respuestas que
necesitaba de los médicos,
necesitaba de los médicos,
01:24
and so I started digging
into the medical literature.
into the medical literature.
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así que empecé a investigar
documentación médica.
documentación médica.
01:27
And I found there's
this whole story about concussions
this whole story about concussions
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Y allí encontré todo este historial
sobre traumatismos
sobre traumatismos
01:30
that we weren't really being told.
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de los que no nos habían hablado.
01:31
So I decided to write a book about it,
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Decidí escribir un libro sobre ello,
01:33
called "Head Games:
Football's Concussion Crisis"
Football's Concussion Crisis"
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llamado Head Games:
Football's Concussion Crisis
Football's Concussion Crisis
01:35
that came out in 2006.
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que salió en 2006.
01:37
But in that process, I learned
it's not really just about concussions.
it's not really just about concussions.
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Pero en ese proceso, aprendí que no solo
se trataba de traumatismos craneales.
se trataba de traumatismos craneales.
01:40
I learned about a disease called
chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE.
chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE.
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Aprendí sobre una enfermedad llamada
encefalopatía traumática crónica o ETC.
encefalopatía traumática crónica o ETC.
01:45
What we used to call punch-drunk,
because we only knew about it from boxers.
because we only knew about it from boxers.
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Llamada demencia pugilística
por conocerse solo entre boxeadores.
por conocerse solo entre boxeadores.
01:49
We knew that getting hit in the head
too many times with boxers
too many times with boxers
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Sabíamos que muchos golpes en la cabeza
muchas veces entre boxeadores
muchas veces entre boxeadores
01:53
would cause their brain to essentially
start to rot, to degenerate.
start to rot, to degenerate.
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podrían causar que el cerebro
empezara a degenerar.
empezara a degenerar.
01:57
And they'd have symptoms
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Y ellos tenían síntomas
01:58
like memory problems
and problems with cognition,
and problems with cognition,
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como problemas de memoria,
problemas cognitivos,
problemas cognitivos,
02:01
depression, impulse
control issues, aggression.
control issues, aggression.
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depresión, falta de control, agresividad.
02:05
So basically, I got ...
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Básicamente,
02:09
I got injured at the right time,
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me lesionaron en el momento ideal,
02:11
in which the first two NFL players
were studied for this disease.
were studied for this disease.
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cuando se estudió los dos primeros casos
de jugadores de la NFL
de jugadores de la NFL
02:15
And it turned out they both had it.
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y resultó que ambos tenían ETC.
02:17
The first was Mike Webster,
50 years old, already had dementia.
50 years old, already had dementia.
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El primero, Mike Webster,
50 años, ya tenía demencia.
50 años, ya tenía demencia.
02:21
The second, Terry Long,
45 years old when he took his life.
45 years old when he took his life.
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El segundo, Terry Long,
45 años cuando se quitó la vida.
45 años cuando se quitó la vida.
02:26
The medical examiner in Pittsburgh
decided to look at their brains
decided to look at their brains
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El examinador médico en Pittsburgh
decidió mirar sus cerebros.
decidió mirar sus cerebros.
02:30
and found this disease.
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Y encontró esta enfermedad.
02:31
I wrote a chapter about it,
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Escribí un capítulo sobre ella,
02:33
and I thought people would make
a big deal out of it.
a big deal out of it.
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y pensé que la gente
haría mucho revuelo.
haría mucho revuelo.
02:36
But shockingly, even when
the first two cases came in positive,
the first two cases came in positive,
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Sorpresivamente, incluso
con los dos primeros casos positivos
con los dos primeros casos positivos
02:39
there was never a national
news story about this,
news story about this,
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nunca se dio una noticia nacional sobre
02:42
what's going on in football
with these cases of CTE.
with these cases of CTE.
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lo que pasaba en el fútbol
con los casos de ETC.
con los casos de ETC.
02:45
So the book comes out,
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Así que el libro se publicó,
02:47
not a whole lot is happening,
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sin pena ni gloria,
02:48
and one day I read the newspaper --
November 20, 2006.
November 20, 2006.
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hasta que un día leyendo el periódico,
el 20 de noviembre de 2006,
el 20 de noviembre de 2006,
02:53
I find out that Andre Waters
just took his life.
just took his life.
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descubrí que Andre Waters
se había quitado la vida.
se había quitado la vida.
02:57
Those of you who know football,
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Aquellos que saben de futbol,
02:58
Andre Waters was someone
I grew up watching.
I grew up watching.
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crecí viendo a Andre Waters.
03:00
Former Philadelphia Eagles strong safety,
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El exdefensa de
los Eagles de Philadelphia,
los Eagles de Philadelphia,
03:02
[44] years old,
a Division II football coach
a Division II football coach
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de 44 años, era entrenador de
futbol de 2ª división
futbol de 2ª división
03:05
when he decided to put a gun to his head.
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cuando decidó ponerse
una pistola en su cabeza.
una pistola en su cabeza.
El artículo me recordó que
su nick era Dirty Waters. (Agua sucia)
su nick era Dirty Waters. (Agua sucia)
03:08
In the article they reminded me,
his nickname was Dirty Waters.
his nickname was Dirty Waters.
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03:11
He was known for leading with his head,
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Era conocido por liderar con su cabeza.
03:13
so I thought I'm just going to look up
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Pensé en revisar
si alguna vez había hablado de
los traumatismos craneales que tenía.
los traumatismos craneales que tenía.
03:15
did he ever talk
about the concussions he had.
about the concussions he had.
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03:17
And I found a quote from 1994
where Andre Waters said,
where Andre Waters said,
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Y encontré una cita de 1994
donde decía,
donde decía,
03:20
"I stopped counting my concussions at 15.
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"Paré de contar
mis lesiones cerebrales a la 15ª.
mis lesiones cerebrales a la 15ª.
03:23
I wouldn't say anything, I'd just sniff
smelling salts and go back out there."
smelling salts and go back out there."
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No decía nada, olía
sales aromáticas y volvería a salir."
sales aromáticas y volvería a salir."
03:26
And I thought, I wonder
if he might have CTE, too.
if he might have CTE, too.
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Y me preguntaba si él
había tenido ETC también.
había tenido ETC también.
03:30
If that might have contributed to whatever
made him choose to end his life.
made him choose to end his life.
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Si eso habría contribuido a
ese final escogido para su vida.
ese final escogido para su vida.
03:34
So I ended up calling the doctor
who did the first two studies, and I said,
who did the first two studies, and I said,
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Llamé al médico que hizo
los dos primeros estudios y le dije:
los dos primeros estudios y le dije:
03:37
"Hey, I think you should
study Andre Waters."
study Andre Waters."
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"Creo que debería
estudiar a Andre Waters."
estudiar a Andre Waters."
03:41
And he said, "I'd be happy to.
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Y él dijo, "Me gustaría.
03:44
The problem is, the first two cases
died in the county in which I work,
died in the county in which I work,
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El problema es que, los dos primeros casos
murieron en el condado
murieron en el condado
y pude estudiarlos como
parte de mi trabajo.
parte de mi trabajo.
03:47
and I could study them as part of my job.
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03:49
I can't do that with Andre Waters,
he died in Florida.
he died in Florida.
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No puedo con Andre Waters,
él murió en Florida.
él murió en Florida.
03:52
If you want me to study him,
you're going to have to figure out
you're going to have to figure out
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Si quieres estudiarlo,
tendrás que descubrir
tendrás que descubrir
03:55
how to get me the brain."
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cómo conseguirme su cerebro."
03:57
So I said, "OK.
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Así que dije, "Bien.
04:00
How does one get a brain?"
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¿cómo se consigue un cerebro?."
04:03
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
04:05
So I racked my brain
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Me devané los sesos
04:07
and I thought, why don't I call
the medical examiner
the medical examiner
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y pensé, ¿por qué no llamo
al médico forense
al médico forense
04:09
who I think has the brain right now?
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que creo que tiene el cerebro ahora?
04:11
So I called up the medical examiner
in Florida, and I said,
in Florida, and I said,
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Así que llamé al médico forense
en Florida, y dije,
en Florida, y dije,
04:14
"Hey, you don't know me, but do you still
have the brain of Andre Waters?"
have the brain of Andre Waters?"
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"No me conoce, ¿pero aún
tiene el cerebro de Andre Waters?."
tiene el cerebro de Andre Waters?."
04:18
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
04:19
And he said, "Yes, I do."
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Y él dijo, "Sí, lo tengo"
04:22
I said, "OK, are you going to
study him for CTE?"
study him for CTE?"
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Dije, "Bien, ¿va a examinar
su posible ETC?."
su posible ETC?."
04:26
And he said no, in fact at that time
he didn't believe that was a real disease.
he didn't believe that was a real disease.
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Él dijo que no, de hecho, no creía
que fuera una enfermedad real.
que fuera una enfermedad real.
04:30
I said, "OK, if you're not,
do you mind if I have it?"
do you mind if I have it?"
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Dije, "Bien, ¿le importa si me lo quedo?."
04:34
And he said, "Well, young man,
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Y él dijo, "Mire, joven,
04:38
I can't give you the brain.
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no puedo darle el cerebro.
04:40
You need his family's permission.
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Necesita permiso de la familia
04:41
But if you do get the permission
of his next of kin,
of his next of kin,
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si es de un pariente cercano
04:45
I will release the brain to you."
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se lo cederé."
04:47
And I said, "Great!"
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Y dije, "¡Genial!"
04:49
And then I realized I had to figure out
who his next of kin was and ask them,
who his next of kin was and ask them,
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Y me dí cuenta que tenía que descubrir
quién era su familiar y preguntar
quién era su familiar y preguntar
04:53
and it turned out it was
Andre Waters's 88-year-old mother.
Andre Waters's 88-year-old mother.
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y resultó ser la madre de Waters,
de 88 años.
de 88 años.
04:57
And I sat there, and I took
a breath and I thought,
a breath and I thought,
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Me senté allí, tomé el aliento y pensé,
05:00
"Am I really going to cold-call
an 88-year-old grieving mother
an 88-year-old grieving mother
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"¿Voy a llamar fríamente a una madre
en duelo de 88 años
en duelo de 88 años
05:04
who just lost her son to suicide?"
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quien acaba de perder a su hijo?."
05:06
And almost everything in me
said, "Don't do it.
said, "Don't do it.
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Y gran parte de mí, dijo:
"No lo hagas.
"No lo hagas.
05:10
It's too much to put
this poor woman through,
this poor woman through,
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Es demasiada carga para esta mujer,
05:13
she's been through so much already."
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ella ya ha pasado por mucho."
05:15
But then this other voice in my head said,
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Pero otra voz en mi cabeza dijo,
05:17
"You know what?
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"¿Sabes qué?
05:19
If guys are killing themselves
from this disease
from this disease
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Si la gente se mata por
esta enfermedad
esta enfermedad
05:21
and we could study it to maybe
prevent this from happening in the future,
prevent this from happening in the future,
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y pudiéramos estudiarla, quizás
prevendría esto en el futuro,
prevendría esto en el futuro,
05:25
sometimes you've just got to suck it up
and do something that's very hard."
and do something that's very hard."
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a veces solo tienes que aguantar
y hacer algo que es muy duro."
y hacer algo que es muy duro."
05:29
So I called her.
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Así que la llamé.
05:32
First time, nobody answered.
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Primero, nadie contestó
05:34
Second time, no one answered,
third... no voice mails.
third... no voice mails.
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La segunda vez, sin respuesta,
tercera...nada.
tercera...nada.
05:37
The fifth time, I got an answer.
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A la quinta, conseguí una respuesta.
05:39
And thank God that Andre Waters's family
was so gracious about the call and said,
was so gracious about the call and said,
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Gracias a Dios, su familia fue cortés
y dijeron
y dijeron
05:46
"You know what, we want to know
what happened to Andre.
what happened to Andre.
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"Sabes, queremos saber qué
le pasó a Andre.
le pasó a Andre.
05:48
We want to know why he changed so much
in the last five years of his life."
in the last five years of his life."
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Por qué cambió tanto en los
últimos cinco años de vida."
últimos cinco años de vida."
05:52
And so we studied the brain,
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Y así estudiamos el cerebro
05:55
and it turned out that he did have CTE.
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y resultó que él tenía ETC.
Fue el tercer jugador de la NFL
diagnosticado con esta enfermedad.
diagnosticado con esta enfermedad.
05:59
He became the third NFL player
diagnosed with the disease.
diagnosed with the disease.
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06:02
This is what it looks like.
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Así es como se ve.
06:03
He was somewhere between mild and severe.
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Él estaba entre leve y severo.
06:06
OK, we have three
of three NFL players here.
of three NFL players here.
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Tenemos a los tres
jugadores de la NFL aquí.
jugadores de la NFL aquí.
06:10
Maybe this needs to get
a little bit more serious.
a little bit more serious.
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Quizás esto deba tratarse
un poco más seriamente.
un poco más seriamente.
06:12
Maybe something's happening here.
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Quizás algo esté pasando aquí.
06:14
So I ended up starting
the Concussion Legacy Foundation,
the Concussion Legacy Foundation,
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Así acabé creando la
Concussion Legacy Foundation,
Concussion Legacy Foundation,
06:17
actually formalized the work,
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formalicé mi trabajo y todo,
06:18
so it wasn't just
some guy calling for brains.
some guy calling for brains.
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así que ya no era el tipo
llamando por cerebros.
llamando por cerebros.
06:20
And I searched the world.
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Busqué por el mundo
06:23
And I put together
the best research team I could find.
the best research team I could find.
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y junté el mejor equipo de
investigadores que pude encontrar.
investigadores que pude encontrar.
Nos asociamos con la Universidad de Boston
06:26
So we partnered with Boston University,
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06:28
we partnered with scientists
at the VA here in Boston,
at the VA here in Boston,
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con científicos de la VA en Boston,
e iniciamos un banco de cerebros.
06:31
and we started a brain bank.
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06:33
Turns out, if you want to know
how to cure degenerative brain disease,
how to cure degenerative brain disease,
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Si quieres saber cómo curar
enfermedades degenerativas,
enfermedades degenerativas,
06:36
you have to start
by actually studying the brains.
by actually studying the brains.
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hay que empezar estudiando cerebros.
06:38
At this point, we were the first center
in the world focused on CTE.
in the world focused on CTE.
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En ese momento, éramos el primer centro
del mundo centrado en ETC.
del mundo centrado en ETC.
06:43
It just had not been studied formally.
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No había sido estudiado formalmente.
06:46
And so we start this brain bank,
and it's my job to get the brains
and it's my job to get the brains
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Empezamos el banco de cerebros,
y es mi misión conseguir los cerebros
y es mi misión conseguir los cerebros
06:49
for Dr. Ann McKee
and her brain bank, right in the middle.
and her brain bank, right in the middle.
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para la Dr. Ann McKee y
su banco de cerebros, justo en el centro.
su banco de cerebros, justo en el centro.
06:52
We also work with Dr. Bob Stern,
Dr. Robert Cantu,
Dr. Robert Cantu,
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También trabajamos con el Dr.Bob Stern,
Dr.Robert Cantu,
Dr.Robert Cantu,
06:56
truly my dream team
of scientists that I support.
of scientists that I support.
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realmente un equipo de ensueño
que apoyo.
que apoyo.
06:58
So my job is to get the brains.
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Así mi trabajo es conseguir cerebros.
07:00
And I was very successful
in those early years.
in those early years.
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Y he sido muy exitoso
en estos primeros años.
en estos primeros años.
07:03
Since 2007 I've started every day
by reading the obituaries.
by reading the obituaries.
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Desde 2007 he empezado cada día
leyendo obituarios.
leyendo obituarios.
07:08
And it's a tough way to live.
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Y es una manera dura de vivir.
07:10
And it's hard on me
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Es duro para mí
07:12
and it's even worse on these
poor families that I've been calling
poor families that I've been calling
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y es incluso peor para las pobres
familias a las que he llamado
familias a las que he llamado
07:16
for the last 10 years,
to ask for their brains.
to ask for their brains.
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en los últimos 10 años
para pedirles los cerebros.
para pedirles los cerebros.
07:19
And so early on in the process,
as it started to really eat away at me,
as it started to really eat away at me,
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Al principio del proceso,
empezó a carcomerme.
empezó a carcomerme.
07:22
I decided, you know what,
can I find another way
can I find another way
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Y pensé si podía encontrar otra forma
07:25
to get people to donate
their brains to this research?
their brains to this research?
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para que la gente donara
sus cerebros a esta investigación.
sus cerebros a esta investigación.
07:28
And I figured out,
what if we could create a culture
what if we could create a culture
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Y pensé: ¿y si pudiéramos crear
una cultura de
una cultura de
07:32
of brain donation in this country?
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donación de cerebros en este país?
07:33
What if it became normal for athletes
to donate their brain after they died?
to donate their brain after they died?
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¿Si se volviera normal para los atletas
donar sus cerebros tras morir?
donar sus cerebros tras morir?
07:37
And so what I started
was a brain donation registry.
was a brain donation registry.
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De este modo empecé
un registro de donación de cerebros.
un registro de donación de cerebros.
07:40
And I started asking athletes
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Y empecé a preguntar a atletas
07:43
if they would publicly pledge
to donate their brain to science.
to donate their brain to science.
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si prometerían públicamente
donar sus cerebros a la ciencia.
donar sus cerebros a la ciencia.
07:47
And it started with, actually,
a hockey player in 2009.
a hockey player in 2009.
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Y empezó, de hecho,
con un jugador de hockey en 2009.
con un jugador de hockey en 2009.
07:50
One of my first pledges
was a former Harvard hockey player,
was a former Harvard hockey player,
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Una de las primeras promesas
era un exjugador de hockey de Harvard.
era un exjugador de hockey de Harvard.
07:55
Noah Welch, who was
in the NHL at the time.
in the NHL at the time.
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Noah Welch, quien estaba
en la NHL por aquel entonces.
en la NHL por aquel entonces.
07:57
It was a slow start people understanding
what this was about.
what this was about.
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Fue un inicio lento que la gente
comprendiera esto.
comprendiera esto.
08:00
So when the news hit the front page,
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Cuando la noticia ocupó las portadas
"Noah Wlch promete donar
su cerebro a la ciencia"
su cerebro a la ciencia"
08:02
"Noah Welch pledging
his brain to science,"
his brain to science,"
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08:04
he said he went
to the locker room the next day,
to the locker room the next day,
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dijo que al ir al vestuario
al día siguiente,
al día siguiente,
08:06
one of his teammates
pulled him aside and said,
pulled him aside and said,
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uno de los compañeros
lo llevó a parte y dijo,
lo llevó a parte y dijo,
08:09
"Hey, I heard you're donating
your brain to science."
your brain to science."
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"He oído que estás donando
tu cerebro a la ciencia."
tu cerebro a la ciencia."
08:11
And he said, "Yep."
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Y él dijo, "Sep"
08:12
And he said, "Wow.
How many games are you going to miss?"
How many games are you going to miss?"
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El otro dijo, "Guau, ¿cuántos
partidos te vas a saltar?"
partidos te vas a saltar?"
08:15
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
08:17
True story.
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Historia verídica.
08:18
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
08:24
But we've been remarkably successful --
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Pero hemos obtenido un éxito notable
08:28
over 2,500 athletes have signed up.
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más de 2500 atletas se han unido.
08:31
They get a brain-donation card
they keep in their wallet.
they keep in their wallet.
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Han recibido una tarjeta de donante
que guardan en su billetera.
que guardan en su billetera.
08:34
This is mine, I was
obviously first, it says 01.
obviously first, it says 01.
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Esta es mía, obviamente
la primera, dice 01.
la primera, dice 01.
08:39
And I will donate my brain to this.
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Y donaré mi cerebro a esto.
También hemos tenido suerte
de tener gente como Brandi Chastain,
de tener gente como Brandi Chastain,
08:41
We've also been lucky
to have people like Brandi Chastain,
to have people like Brandi Chastain,
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08:43
the women's soccer icon,
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icono del futbol femenino,
Dale Earnhardt Jr. de la NASCAR
08:45
NASCAR's Dale Earnhardt Jr.
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08:46
Just two weeks ago,
Hall-of-Famer Nick Buoniconti
Hall-of-Famer Nick Buoniconti
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Hace dos semanas,
Nick Buoniconti del Salón de la Fama
Nick Buoniconti del Salón de la Fama
quien fue diagnosticado con demencia,
se unió prometiendo su cerebro
se unió prometiendo su cerebro
08:48
who had been diagnosed with dementia,
signed up to pledge his brain.
signed up to pledge his brain.
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08:52
So it's been wonderful,
and the great thing about it
and the great thing about it
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Está siendo maravilloso,
y lo grandioso de esto,
y lo grandioso de esto,
08:54
is that it has worked
in changing how we're able to get brains.
in changing how we're able to get brains.
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es que ha funcionado cambiando
cómo conseguimos cerebros.
cómo conseguimos cerebros.
08:58
So now, instead of me having to call,
more families call us.
more families call us.
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Ahora, en lugar de tener que llamarlos,
más familias nos llaman
más familias nos llaman
09:01
And our phones ring off the hook.
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y el teléfono se descuelga solo.
09:03
And so I can now focus
on taking this information,
on taking this information,
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Y así podemos centrarnos
en recoger esta información
en recoger esta información
09:06
figuring out how do we work
towards a cure,
towards a cure,
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determinando cómo trabajamos
hacia una cura,
hacia una cura,
09:09
how do we work towards prevention,
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como trabajamos hacia la prevención
09:11
and so my life has gotten a lot easier.
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y nuestra vida se volvió mucho más fácil.
09:13
This is just some of the headlines
that we've able to get over the years
that we've able to get over the years
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Este es uno de los titulares que
hemos tenido
hemos tenido
09:17
from athletes pledging their brain.
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de atletas prometiendo sus cerebros
09:20
The problem has been what we learned.
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El problema es lo que hemos aprendido.
09:22
So when we started this,
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Cuando empezamos,
09:23
only 45 cases existed
in the world of this disease
in the world of this disease
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solo existían 45 casos
en el mundo de esta enfermedad
en el mundo de esta enfermedad
que fueron estudiados
en bancos de cerebros.
en bancos de cerebros.
09:27
that had been studied in brain banks.
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09:30
Since then, we have acquired 500 brains
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Desde entonces, adquirimos 500 cerebros
09:33
and found over 300 of them had CTE.
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y encontramos que 300 tenía ETC.
09:36
To put that in perspective,
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Poniéndolo en perspectiva,
09:37
the rest of the world has not studied
100 brains since we started this.
100 brains since we started this.
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el resto del mundo no ha estudiado
100 cerebros desde que comenzamos.
100 cerebros desde que comenzamos.
09:42
What we've seen though
is very frightening.
is very frightening.
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Lo que hemos visto es muy alarmante.
09:45
So some of you might have seen
the headline in July
the headline in July
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Algunos de Uds. puede que
hayan visto el titular en julio
hayan visto el titular en julio
09:48
in the "New York Times."
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en el New York Times.
09:49
And a recent study we published,
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Y un reciente estudio que publicamos,
09:51
that of the first 111
NFL players we looked at
NFL players we looked at
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sobre los primeros 111 jugadores
de la NFL que exploramos,
de la NFL que exploramos,
09:54
110 were positive for this disease.
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110 dieron positivo en esta enfermedad.
09:57
Of the first 53 college
football players we looked at,
football players we looked at,
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De los primeros 53 estudiantes de
futbol universitarios,
futbol universitarios,
10:01
48 had this disease.
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48 dieron positivo.
10:04
That's something
that's a very big concern to me.
that's a very big concern to me.
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Es algo que preocupa enormemente.
10:07
And so now, I'm very much focused
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Y ahora, estoy muy centrado
10:09
on what can we do
to actually treat this disease?
to actually treat this disease?
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en cómo podemos tratar
ahora esta enfermedad.
ahora esta enfermedad.
10:14
We still can't diagnose
CTE in living people,
CTE in living people,
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Aún no se puede diagnosticar
el ETC en personas vivas,
el ETC en personas vivas,
10:17
we have no treatments
that are going to be coming
that are going to be coming
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no tenemos tratamientos
que vayan a salir
que vayan a salir
10:20
out of the pharmaceutical industry
in the next five years.
in the next five years.
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de la industria farmacéutica
en los próximos cinco años.
en los próximos cinco años.
10:23
This is a long, long fight.
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Es una larga, larga lucha.
10:25
But our Concussion Legacy Foundation
is here to not only facilitate this work,
is here to not only facilitate this work,
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Pero la Concussion Legacy Foundation
está aquí para no solo facilitarlo
está aquí para no solo facilitarlo
es cuestión de tiempo,
10:30
and that's the long game,
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10:31
but the short game is,
hey, we can prevent this.
hey, we can prevent this.
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pero por lo pronto,
podemos prevenirlo.
podemos prevenirlo.
10:33
We can prevent this disease
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Podemos prevenirlo
10:35
if we just stopped hitting people
in the head so much.
in the head so much.
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si paramos de golpear tanto
a la gente en la cabeza.
a la gente en la cabeza.
10:37
And frankly, we need to stop
hitting children in the head.
hitting children in the head.
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Debemos parar de golpear
a los niños en la cabeza.
a los niños en la cabeza.
10:40
Turns out, it's not a great idea
to hit a five-year-old in the head
to hit a five-year-old in the head
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Resulta que no es bueno
golpear a un niño de 5 años en la cabeza
golpear a un niño de 5 años en la cabeza
10:43
500 times each year.
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500 veces al año.
10:45
And it does actually
open up the door to this disease.
open up the door to this disease.
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Ya que abre la puerta a
esta enfermedad
esta enfermedad
10:47
And so, we've got
a lot of work ahead of us.
a lot of work ahead of us.
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Así tendremos media batalla ganada.
10:51
But I have great hope that we're
on our way to curing this disease.
on our way to curing this disease.
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Pero tengo la gran esperanza
de que estamos en camino de curarla.
de que estamos en camino de curarla.
10:56
But I hope you understand
my story a little more now.
my story a little more now.
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Espero que comprendan
mi historia un poco mejor.
mi historia un poco mejor.
11:01
And now that we've gotten
to know each other a little bit better,
to know each other a little bit better,
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Y ahora que hemos conseguido
conocernos un poco mejor,
conocernos un poco mejor,
11:05
this is the time where I ask you,
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es hora de que les pregunte algo,
11:07
"Can I have your brain?"
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"¿Pueden darme su cerebro?"
11:09
Thank you very much.
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Muchas gracias.
11:10
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
11:13
Thank you.
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Gracias.
11:14
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Chris Nowinski - Social entrepreneurDr. Chris Nowinski is leading a global conversation on concussions, CTE and the future of sports.
Why you should listen
Dr. Chris Nowinski is an All-Ivy Harvard football player-turned WWE professional wrestler-turned neuroscientist. He discovered the concussion crisis the hard way: a 2003 kick to the chin in a WWE tag-team match ended his career, causing post-concussion syndrome and sending him on a journey where he uncovered a public health conspiracy that continues to cost lives.
Nowinski wrote the investigative expose Head Games: Football’s Concussion Crisis in 2006 and soon after founded the non-profit Concussion Legacy Foundation (CLF), where he serves as CEO. He co-founded the world-famous Boston University (BU) CTE Center, where he serves as the outreach, recruitment, education, and public policy leader, as well as the VA-BU-CLF Brain Bank, where he led recruitment for the 2017 study that found 110 of 111 deceased NFL players had CTE. His journey has been profiled in media outlets like HBO's "Real Sports", ESPN's "Outside the Lines" and the New York Times, and he was the subject of the award-winning documentary Head Games: The Global Concussion Crisis by celebrated director Steve James.
Nowinski earned his doctorate in behavioral neuroscience from Boston University School of Medicine and has authored more than 25 scientific publications. VICE Sports called Nowinski "the man most responsible for making CTE part of the national conversation," and Sports Illustrated said, "It is Nowinski's figure which looms behind the doctors and the headlines and the debate roiling over sports'newfound commitment to minimizing head trauma."
Chris Nowinski | Speaker | TED.com