Doctors and scientists have made great progress in understanding the brain and treating brain injuries in the last few decades, but the brain still largely remains a mystery. There is a long way to go in finding the most effective treatments for brain injuries, but a recent donation from the NFL to the National Institutes of Health to fund brain injury research will help.

Thousands of former NFL players and their wives have filed a class-action lawsuit against the NFL that accuses the league of not doing enough to prevent brain injuries or to warn players of the long-term health implications of repeat concussions. These players say they now suffer from depression and early-onset dementia. These conditions can greatly affect a person's quality of life and can also make it impossible to earn a livelihood.

The NFL denies the allegations in the lawsuit. In the most recent players' contract, the NFL promised to donate $100 million over 10 years to fund health research, particularly research on brain injuries. This donation is being made quickly because the NFL says that it needs to get moving on this research. The great thing about the research is that it will help football players, but it will also help all people who suffer or have suffered brain injuries in other ways, including veterans who suffered a brain injury during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Source: The Washington Post, "NFL donating $30 million to NIH for brain injury research," Mark Maske, Sept. 5, 2012