The researchers studying a degenerative brain disease in former athletes plan to test about 100 retired NFL players to try to learn how to diagnose the condition during life. Cheap Jerseys Black Friday . For now, the only way to confirm Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy is by examining brains after death. The Boston University centre that has analyzed the brains of more than 70 former athletes is starting a three-year study of living patients. The Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy at BUs School of Medicine also will recruit 50 retired elite athletes from non-contact sports as a comparison group, co-director Robert Stern told The Associated Press on Thursday. The first subject completed the two days of extensive testing Wednesday and Thursday. Until CTE can be diagnosed during life, its impossible to develop treatments or to determine how to prevent it, Stern said. "We need answers on this disease really quickly," he said. Co-director Dr. Ann McKee has found CTE in more than 50 former athletes; in the past year alone, the list has included sports stars Dave Duerson of the NFL and Rick Martin of the NHL. Linked to repeated brain trauma, CTE is associated with symptoms such as memory loss, impaired judgment, depression, and, eventually, progressive dementia. The study, called DETECT, is the first on CTE funded by the National Institutes of Health. The goal is to find differences between the NFL players and the athletes who havent experienced repeated blows to the head. Subjects are flown into Boston for a wide variety of tests. On the first day, they spend a total of about two hours in scanners at Brigham and Womens Hospital for different kinds of neuroimaging. The second day takes place at BUs medical school and includes a spinal tap, a lengthy psychiatric interview, neurological and cognitive testing and blood work. The NFL players must be offensive and defensive linemen, linebackers or defensive backs, because those positions involve the most repeated brain trauma. The subjects are between the ages of 40 and 69 and suffer from some symptoms associated with CTE. They all had long football careers to ensure an extensive history of blows to the head. Multiple concussions are not a requirement -- partly because players may not even know they had a concussion, and partly because the evidence suggests CTE can occur simply through play after play of knocks to the head. The NFL and the players union are helping the centre to contact former players. Stern said the initial response had been "extremely positive." "Theres a sense that former players want to be able to do something to not only potentially help themselves but also to help get the research moving quickly to help others in the future," he said. The athletes in the comparison group will include retired swimmers and tennis players among others, recruited through college alumni associations and sports leagues. "Youd be surprised at how many sports we exclude because we dont know for sure theres not a problem," Stern said, such as distance running, with the jolting of the head at every step. Two more subjects are lined up for December, then the pace will pick up in January. The athletes are promised confidentiality. The researchers hope genetic testing and other analyses help them eventually determine why some athletes who receive repeated blows to the head develop CTE and others dont. Dr. Robert Cantu and Chris Nowinski, a former Harvard football player and professional wrestler, are the other co-directors of the centre. Stern, a professor of neurology and neurosurgery at BUs medical school, also studies Alzheimers. The recent progress made in diagnosing that disease during life encouraged him that the same could happen with CTE. The grant, received in August, is also supported by the National Institute of Neurologic Diseases and Stroke, the National Institute on Aging, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. There are 20 co-investigators, including researchers at Harvard, Penn and Columbia. The centre is still seeking additional funding to complete the study. The centre is also conducting a study called LEGEND of more than 1,000 athletes from a variety of sports using yearly telephone interviews, online questionnaires and a saliva sample for genetic testing to try to learn more about the development of CTE. jerseys from china . Newly elected Mayor Bob Filner said in his first State of the City address Tuesday night that the Chargers will not opt out of their lease at Qualcomm Stadium in 2013, nor will they file an application to explore a move to Los Angeles. cheap jerseys from china . Milos Raonic and Frank Dancevic staked Canada to a 2-0 lead over favoured Spain on the first day of a Davis Cup tie on Friday. http://www.cheapjerseyschina.cc/ . Indianapolis says it sent an undisclosed conditional draft pick to the 49ers. The Colts did not immediately announce a corresponding roster move. cheap jerseys from china . - Patrik Bartosak made 38 saves while earning his fourth shutout of the season, to lead the Red Deer Rebels to a 5-0 win over the Prince Albert Raiders on Wednesday in Western Hockey League action. Black Friday Jerseys Deals . He just doesnt want the Thunder to make a habit of it. "Were very prideful. Were going to keep fighting to the last possession," Brooks said after watching his team pull out a come-from-behind 115-113 win at home against Denver. DETROIT -- Canadas Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch set a personal best score en route to the silver medal in pairs on Sunday at Skate America, the first stop on the ISU Grand Prix figure skating circuit. World champions Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov of Russia won the gold medal with 237.71 points, Moore-Towers and Moscovitch followed at 208.45 and Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov of Russia were third at 187.35. It was the same top-three order after Saturdays short program. "This is the kind of start we definitely wanted in an Olympic year," said Moscovitch, from Toronto. "Its a confirmation that we are doing the right thing with our programs. And we know there is still a lot of room for improvement." Moore-Towers and Moscovitchs previous best overall score was 199.50 set in a fourth place finish at the world championships last season. "Its really been a combination of factors thats helped us achieve these scores this early in the season," said Moore-Towers from St. Catharines, Ont. "Our programs are a lot more consistent and we are a lot better at telling a story when we perform." Margaret Purdy of Strathroy, Ont., and Michael Marinaro of Sarnia, Ont., were eighth. The Canadians were also pleased with their performance, seeing it as a building block to develop thheir Olympic season. [url=http://www.cheapnfljerseys2015.us.com/NIKE-NFL-JERSEYS_SAN-DIEGO-CHARGERS-J... San Diego Chargers Jerseys[/url]. Moore-Towers and Moscovitch had some slight errors, such as his step-out on their side-by-side triple salchows. The free skate, to a "Fellini Medley" by Nino Rota, was not their original concept when they started preparing for the year. They didnt feel a strong connection to the first program, and switched to the Fellini selection for a better spirit. The pair said the Skate America scores for the program validated their decision. "Both feel that this is the program that will take us where we want to go," Moscovitch said. In womens singles competition, Japans Mao Asada beat American Ashley Wagner to take the championship. Asada, the leader going into the free skate, won despite a fall on her triple axel and a two-footed landing on her triple lutz. She scored 204.55 points, thanks to her elevated technical difficulty. Wagner, the 2012 Skate America champion, finished with 193.81. Russias Elena Radionova, only 14, finished third at 183.95 in her first ISU Grand Prix event. "I am not completely satisfied with my performance today," Asada said, through a translator. "This was a learning experience." Asada scored higher than Wagner in each of the five program component elements, more than overcoming a one-point deduction for falling. ' ' '