美国国家公共电台 NPR Female Athletes Are Closing The Gender Gap When It Comes To Concussions

 

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Today in Your Health, we take a look at female athletes and concussions². Most of what scientists know about these injuries comes from studies of men, even as more women are competing in contact sports. NPR's Jon Hamilton has the story of a female fighter who is helping³ scientists learn more about concussions in women, while trying to protect her own brain.

JON HAMILTON, BYLINE⁴: Gina Mazany grew up in Anchorage, Ala. And that's where she had her first fight.

GINA MAZANY: This was, like, right after I turned 18. So I was legally allowed to fight.

HAMILTON: She knew a bar with a boxing ring.

MAZANY: So you go to this bar, and you weigh in. And then there's this other chick. And she had, like, the mom haircut, like short hair, had, like, you know, the jacket with, like, shoulder pads in. And she's, like, wanting to fight. And I was like, yeah, it's cool.

HAMILTON: Except it wasn't.

MAZANY: She beat the crap out of me. She didn't knock me out. She didn't finish me. But she just knocked me around for three rounds. And I remember later that night, I was very, very nauseous. I was throwing up that night.

HAMILTON: It was her first concussion¹.

MAZANY: The next day, I just felt like crap. But I came back in the gym because I was like, I don't want people to think that I'm not tough.

HAMILTON: Mazany is 28 now and lives in Las Vegas.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER #1: Introducing to you first, fighting out of the blue corner...

HAMILTON: She's a professional mixed-martial-arts fighter who competes in Ultimate Fighting Championship events.

UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER #1: ...Here is the undefeated Gina Danger Mazany.

(SOUNDBITE OF CHEERING)

HAMILTON: Her nickname is Danger, and she doesn't worry about looking tough. But Mazany has begun worrying about her brain.

MAZANY: My thought is like, one day, I want to get married and have a family. And I want to be able to take care of my babies and, like, all that kind of stuff. So I'm not going to get the [expletive] kicked out of me for nothing, if that makes sense.

HAMILTON: Mazany has reason to worry. She knows retired⁵ fighters whose brains are really messed up. But they're all men. Nobody knows much about what combat sports do to a woman's brain. Mark Burns of Georgetown University says that's because scientists simply haven't done much research on females.

MARK BURNS: We classically have always known the male response to brain injury...

HAMILTON: ...Even when it comes to mice.

BURNS: Male mice have been used historically in research and not really being compared to female mice.

HAMILTON: That's changing. The National Institutes of Health is requiring scientists to include female animals. And Burns' lab has begun using both genders⁶ in their research on head injuries. He says, first, they give the mouse an anesthetic⁷. Then they put the animal in a device that delivers a precise blow to the head.

BURNS: And that would lead to about 30 seconds worth of a loss of consciousness.

HAMILTON: This summer, Burns published a study in the journal Glia that looked at mice with severe brain injuries. He says the brains of male mice showed a massive immune response within a day.

BURNS: But in terms of females, it took them up to seven days to start reacting to this trauma⁸.

HAMILTON: A huge difference - in mice. And there have been hints of differences in people. Just this year, a study of college athletes found that women were more likely than men to get concussions. But to find out for sure, scientists are looking to long-term studies of women like Gina Mazany.

It's a blistering⁹ summer day in Las Vegas.

UNIDENTIFED WOMAN #1: Hi.

HAMILTON: And Mazany has just arrived at the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health.

UNIDENTIFED WOMAN #2: Gina, hi, it's so nice to meet you.

HAMILTON: The center is run by the Cleveland Clinic. And for six years now, professional fighters have been coming here to take part in a brain health study. Each year, they get an exam that includes a brain scan and blood work. They also complete tests of mental functions.

UNIDENTIFED WOMAN #3: So this next one is animals.

MAZANY: Animals?

UNIDENTIFED WOMAN #3: I will make you do...

MAZANY: Oh, God, I hate this. (Laughter) OK.

HAMILTON: A researcher tells Mazany to name as many animals as she can in a minute.

MAZANY: Aardvark, antelope¹⁰, bee, buffalo¹¹.

HAMILTON: After about 40 minutes of testing, Mazany meets with Dr. Charles Bernick.

UNIDENTIFED WOMAN #3: OK, so here's Dr. Bernick.

MAZANY: Hi, Dr. Bernick.

HAMILTON: He's the scientist in charge of the fighter study.

CHARLES BERNICK: Yeah, so how'd you do?

MAZANY: I don't know.

BERNICK: (Laughter).

MAZANY: How did I do?

BERNICK: I don't know. Let's look.

HAMILTON: They move to a quiet room. Bernick scans a chart. It shows Mazany's test results over the past few years.

BERNICK: Well, you're pretty stable. These are different tests you've had. And, actually, the ones that are going down are better. It means you're doing things faster.

HAMILTON: So there's no obvious sign of trouble from her fighting career. But then, Dr. Bernick looks up when Mazany tells him she's been sparring with men who weigh a lot more than she does.

BERNICK: The times you get clipped, like you mentioned, is that a common event or uncommon¹²?

MAZANY: Pretty uncommon.

BERNICK: OK.

MAZANY: I'm pretty conscious about that because...

BERNICK: Yeah.

MAZANY: ...Just because of the whole brain health thing.

BERNICK: Sure.

MAZANY: I don't want to have someone to feed me oatmeal when I'm 40...

BERNICK: Yeah.

MAZANY: ...You know (laughter).

HAMILTON: Bernick says the fighter study now includes nearly 700 men and about 60 women.

BERNICK: So there's still a minority because they are a minority in the sport. But I think it's a very important group to evaluate because we really don't know if there are differences between men and women.

HAMILTON: But he says there's now enough evidence to suggest there might be.

BERNICK: Women may be more likely to suffer concussion. Their symptoms may linger longer. And the question is, is that because women are just more likely to report injuries, or is there a biological higher vulnerability?

HAMILTON: Researchers have suggested some reasons women might be more vulnerable. They tend to have weaker neck muscles. So a head impact might shake the brain more violently. And hormonal¹³ differences might affect the brain's response to an impact or injury. Bernick says the fighter study offers a way to directly compare men and women who compete in events where concussion is often the goal.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER #2: Oh.

UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER #3: Oh, wow, big knockout there - he's probably hurt.

HAMILTON: Bernick says knockouts like this one actually show up in a fighter's brain scan.

BERNICK: You can detect changes in brain structure even over a year's period.

HAMILTON: But it's not so clear what those changes mean.

BERNICK: The question really is, in the long run, are those changes predictors of somebody who's going to have a neurodegenerative disease later in life?

HAMILTON: Bernick says an answer is still years away.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

HAMILTON: In the meantime, Gina Mazany is trying to stay safe while also staying competitive.

(SOUNDBITE OF STRIKING)

MAZANY: Yes.

HAMILTON: During her training sessions, Mazany tries not to hurt anyone.

MAZANY: I have knocked out another girl in my gym on accident. Sorry, Hannah (ph).

HAMILTON: But Mazany says, these days, most fighters know what they're doing is risky¹⁴.

MAZANY: So it's kind of scary. But it's just - I don't know. My theory to it all is like, yeah, there's brain damage. Yeah, this sport is not safe. I don't care who you are; it's not safe. But a lot of things that we do aren't safe...

HAMILTON: For men or for women. Jon Hamilton, NPR News.

(SOUNDBITE OF EVIL NEEDLE'S "ASSEMBLY")

1 concussion   

n.脑震荡；震动

参考例句：

• He was carried off the field with slight concussion.他因轻微脑震荡给抬离了现场。
• She suffers from brain concussion.她得了脑震荡。

2 concussions   

n.震荡( concussion的名词复数 )；脑震荡；冲击；震动

参考例句：

• People who have concussions often trouble thinking or remembering. 患脑震荡的人通常存在思考和记忆障碍。 来自互联网
• Concussions also make a person feel very tired or angry. 脑震荡也会使人感觉疲倦或愤怒。 来自互联网

3 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

6 genders   

n.性某些语言的（阳性、阴性和中性，不同的性有不同的词尾等）( gender的名词复数 )；性别；某些语言的（名词、代词和形容词）性的区分

参考例句：

• There are three genders in German: masculine, feminine and neuter. 德语中有叁性：阳性、阴性和中性。 来自辞典例句
• Japan was fourth among the genders of foreign students. 日本在二十个留美学生输送地中列第四位。 来自互联网

7 anesthetic   

n.麻醉剂，麻药；adj.麻醉的，失去知觉的

参考例句：

• He was given a general anesthetic.他被全身麻醉。
• He was still under the influence of the anesthetic.他仍处在麻醉状态。

8 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。

9 blistering   

adj.酷热的；猛烈的；使起疱的；可恶的v.起水疱；起气泡；使受暴晒n.[涂料] 起泡

参考例句：

• The runners set off at a blistering pace. 赛跑运动员如脱缰野马般起跑了。
• This failure is known as preferential wetting and is responsible for blistering. 这种故障称为优先吸湿，是产生气泡的原因。 来自辞典例句

10 antelope   

n.羚羊；羚羊皮

参考例句：

• Choosing the antelope shows that China wants a Green Olympics.选择藏羚羊表示中国需要绿色奥运。
• The tiger was dragging the antelope across the field.老虎拖着羚羊穿过原野。

11 buffalo   

n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛

参考例句：

• Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
• The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。

12 uncommon   

adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的

参考例句：

• Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
• Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。

13 hormonal   

adj.激素的

参考例句：

• Some viral diseases are more severe during pregnancy, probably tecause of hormonal changes. 有些病毒病在妊娠期间比较严重，可能是由于激素变化引起的。
• She underwent surgical intervention and a subsequent short period of hormonal therapy. 他接受外科手术及随后短暂荷尔蒙治疗。

14 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。