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Brain Donation for Professional Athletes

The PFA and CLF UK are teaming up to provide additional resources on brain donation for PFA members.

Why pledge to donate your brain?

Brain donation is an important way for us to learn more about dementia, neurodegenerative diseases and CTE. Without families taking the decision to donate a loved one’s brain, scientists would not be able to make the essential breakthroughs so quickly.

We know that there are few topics as personal as making the decision on whether to donate your own or a loved one’s brain to research.

Therefore, the PFA has partnered with the Concussion Legacy Foundation to provide additional resources on brain donation, including a webinar on brain donation. The webinar recording will be available here shortly to review in perpetuity.

The following CLF Research Registry comprises the Brain Donation Registry (BDR) and Clinical Research Registry (CRR). You may sign up for one or both. These registries will support the Concussion Legacy Project, a brain bank at the University of Oxford formed through a partnership between the Concussion Legacy Foundation UK and the Jeff Astle Foundation.

To discuss further, please contact either the Concussion Legacy Foundation UK by emailing Executive Director, Nathan Howarth at [email protected] or the PFA Brain Health Deparment by calling 0330 236 8859 or emailing [email protected].

For imminent brain donation matters, call the 24-hour line 07534 029 223 or email [email protected].

Research Registry Form

"*" indicates required fields

Pledge Information

What are you signing up for? Check at least one box *

I pledge to donate my brain to research after my death

I am interested in participating in clinical research while I am alive

Would you like to make your brain pledge public information?*

Yes, please make my pledge public

No, please keep my pledge private

Basic Information

First Name*

Last Name*

Country*

Postal Code*

Phone Number

Email*

Please ensure this email matches

Date of Birth*

Ethnicity*

Sex*

Military Service*

Military Branch*

If you were referred by someone else, please write their name below

Exposure Information

This section asks about your history of brain trauma exposure. Complete this section to the best of your ability regarding your knowledge of the patient's brain injury history. You do not need to have experienced brain trauma in order to sign up for the Clinical Research Registry or Brain Donation Registry. We encourage you to sign up regardless of your brain trauma history.

Primary Exposure*

Other - Primary Exposure

Years of Primary Exposure*

If Primary Exposure was a sport, what is the highest level reached of the primary sport you played?*

Learn More

About the Concussion Legacy Project

Launched in September 2021, the Concussion Legacy Project is a brain bank formed through a partnership between the Concussion Legacy Foundation UK and the Jeff Astle Foundation. The Concussion Legacy Project is led by Dr. Gabriele De Luca, Professor of Clinical Neurology and Experimental Neuropathology in the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Oxford and Director of Clinical Neurosciences Undergraduate Education at Oxford Medical School.

Rugby World Cup winner and ex-Lion, Steve Thompson MBE became the first professional athlete to pledge his brain to the Concussion Legacy Project and now a new generation of players are following his lead.

For more about the Concussion Legacy Project and our global collaborators, including the impact that brain donation has had on our understanding of CTE, head to our brain banks page.

About the CLF Global Brain Bank

CTE is a global problem, but due to a lack of brain tissue, few researchers outside the United States were able to study this devastating disease. The Concussion Legacy Foundation founded the CLF Global Brain Bank to activate scientists from every corner of the globe in the fight against CTE.

Led by some of the world’s greatest researchers on brain trauma and CTE, the CLF Global Brain Bank has collaborators in Australia, Brazil, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, with plans for future growth.

For more about the CLF Global Brain Bank and the importance of brain donation around the world, visit our brain banks page.

About Clinical Research

Research is the key that unlocks our ability to prevent and treat the effects of brain trauma. Clinical research on human volunteers allows scientists to pick up on changes in the brain that lead to CTE while someone is alive, bringing us closer to being able to diagnose CTE during life.

The Concussion Legacy Foundation actively recruits for studies led by the Boston University CTE Center and renowned universities across the country. For more information on active studies, head to our clinical research page.