Canadian Football Alumni Launch New Initiative in Brain Health

HAMILTON, Ontario, March 26, 2018 -- The Canadian Football League Alumni Association (CFLAA) announced a new initiative to help address the brain health of retired football players. CFLAA will be offering BrainHQ, the brain exercise and assessment program, to its members — with a special discount from BrainHQ’s maker, Posit Science.

Repetitive hits to the head — including both concussions and asymptomatic sub-concussive impacts — can lead to decline in cognitive function and increased risk of dementia. Even among people who never set foot on the gridiron, cognitive function — such as speed, attention and memory — generally peaks in a person’s late twenties, with a slow but continuous decline measurable over successive decades.

BrainHQ was selected by CFLAA because it is unique among commercially-available brain exercise products. In a systematic comparison published in the journal Neuropsychological Review, experts found that most brain training targeting older adults has zero studies showing efficacy, and that only BrainHQ exercises are backed by multiple high-quality studies.

In fact, there are more than 100 peer-reviewed studies on benefits of BrainHQ. That includes better performance at standard measures of cognition (e.g., speed, attention, memory), at standard measures of quality of life (e.g., mood, confidence, health-related quality of life), and at real world activities (e.g., balance, driving, everyday cognition). Studies also show physical and chemical changes in the brain, indicative of more efficient brain operations and better brain health.

“We’ve drawn on the expertise of researchers we work with, and on the experiences of our members, to launch this brain health initiative,” said Leo Ezerins, the Executive Director of CFLAA and 10-season veteran, who played linebacker for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. “Studies show a modest amount of BrainHQ training can significantly improve abilities and quality of life.”

Because of its emphasis on brain speed and attention, BrainHQ is increasingly used by top performers to improve skills related to peak performance. In his best-selling book, The TB12 Method, American quarterback Tom Brady writes “As a result of using BrainHQ exercises, I can see more, see things more accurately, and make better decisions faster.” BrainHQ is the only brain training currently offered by the US Department of Defense to every member of the military.

CFLAA member Bob Bronk played five seasons as a running back for the Toronto Argonauts in the 1980s. After joining a study at the Canadian Sports Concussion Project (primarily composed of former CFL players), Bronk regularly used BrainHQ (30-minute sessions, four times a week) for three years.

“I had my share of concussions and lesser head injuries playing football, and I wasn’t sure if slips in memory and attention were related to playing football or just normal aging,” Bronk said, mentioning, as an example, heading down to his workshop to get a tool, and then not being able to recall what tool he needed.

"I joined the concussion study five years ago, and every other year they put me through a full day of neurological tests,” Bronk said. “This time, the research doctor commented that scores usually decline as you age, but mine improved, which I attribute to my use of BrainHQ. And, I noticed it in daily life – having better recall of details at business meetings, feeling more alert on the road, and even remembering what tool I’m looking for.”

Members of CFLAA, and their fans, are able to get a discount on BrainHQ subscriptions at www.brainhq.com/cflaa. BrainHQ also is contributing a portion of the proceeds from each new subscriber at that site to CFLAA.

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