Seahawks owner Allen to fund brain injury research

Microsoft co-founder and Seattle Seahawks owner Paul Allen said Thursday he will pay for a two-year, $2.4 million study into whether repeated blows to the head can lead to dementia. Researchers at the Allen Institute for Brain Science and the University of Washington will examine donated brains to look for links between head injuries and later health problems like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. The NFL recently reached a $765 million settlement of concussion lawsuits that made about 19,000 retired players eligible for money and medical testing. Last week, the NFL Players Association announced a new organization to help former players with health and financial concerns. The Seattle study is unrelated financially to those developments. The Allen Institute previously focused on mapping the healthy brain. – Associated Press