Research project to study head injuries in U Sports football

The University of Saskatchewan Huskies' Tyler Chow is stopped by the University of Calgary Dinos' Matthew Lucyshyn during the 2018 Hardy Cup. (Todd Korol/CP)

Montreal researchers have enlisted members of three varsity football teams for a study into head injuries players sustain on the field.

The research project "Tete premiere," or "Head First," will involve 38 players from Universite de Montreal, Concordia University and McGill University.

Participants will wear telemetry sensors in their helmets during two consecutive matches.

Each player will also undergo medical imaging examinations before, during and after the football season.

The goal is to document any changes in the brain during the season and to assess the brain’s recovery in the off-season.

Lead researcher Louis De Beaumont, a neurologist and surgery professor at the Universite de Montreal, says researchers hope the findings will help reduce health risks to football players.

"The new knowledge acquired could lead to the development of new sports equipment that is better adjusted to the brain’s vulnerabilities," De Beaumont said Wednesday in a release.

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