Muhammad Ali was still boxing professionally when observers first noticed signs of neurological decline, and many have been quick to link his profession to his diagnosis, years later, of Parkinson’s disease.
In the decades that followed, and with Ali’s death Friday at the age of 74, however, a stubborn fact remains: Neurologists cannot definitively say whether Ali’s symptoms were a result of his boxing career. But they said head trauma does increase the risk.
“It’s very hard to point in almost any individual case to what’s causing the Parkinson’s,” said Todd Sherer, the chief executive of the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. “But there’s pretty convincing data that head injury can increase your risk for developing the disease.”
Sherer, who holds a PhD in neuroscience, said a 2006 study published in Annals of Neurology helped establish that risk. In the study, a team led by Dr. Samuel Goldman, of the Parkinson’s Institute and Clinical Center in Sunnyvale, Calif., followed the cases of 93 pairs of twins in which only one of each had Parkinson’s.
Those who had sustained at least one head injury were more likely than their twin to have a later diagnosis of Parkinson’s, and the likelihood increased in those with more than one head injury.
Parkinson’s is a progressive nervous system disorder in which vital nerve cells in the brain malfunction and die, curbing the production of dopamine, the chemical that sends messages to the part of the brain that controls motor skills. Symptoms include tremors, slowed movement, and speech changes, among others.
There is no cure, but treatment options can help manage symptoms.
Goldman said Saturday that he was not familiar with the details of Ali’s case, “but from what I understand there’s a good likelihood that his Parkinson’s is a consequence of repetitive head trauma.”
Based on more recent studies of laboratory animals, Goldman said that he believes those who suffer two episodes of brain trauma within a short period of time are more likely to experience degenerative brain symptoms later in life.
“It can really set off a degenerative cascade,” he said.
Dr. Rodolfo Savica, a physician and researcher with the Mayo Clinic, agreed that those who suffer head trauma are more likely to face a diagnosis of Parkinson’s later in life. Genetic components, he and others believe, are also at play. “There is definitely an individual predisposition to develop this disease that we think can be potentially enhanced by the head trauma itself,” he said.
Dr. John Trojanowski, a neurologist at the University of Pennsylvania, said he met Ali at a fundraising event in Las Vegas several years ago, by which point the boxer was unable to speak. Based on what Trojanowski understood of Ali’s symptoms, and Trojanowski’s own research, he said it’s “highly likely that his early-onset Parkinson’s was a result of his boxing.”
“We know that at some threshold, once crossed, exposure to traumatic brain injury and repetitive brain injury sets the stage for early onset forms of neurodegeneration,” he said.
“We’re far from solving the riddle” of Parkinson’s precise causes, he added. “But what everyone agrees on is that it ain’t good to box and have multiple concussions.”
About the Author Reprints
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Breaks my heart that he had that disease. My ex has it too, he got it at 30! He did boring for a hobby, but says he never got hit on the head. Could be hereditary cos I had 4 on my mums side with PD.
*boxing
My father has Parkinson’s also. He was in the Golden Gloves many years ago. He is 88 now. How much do you think boxing has to do with the Parkinson’s? If he hadn’t been boxing in his younger years do you think he would even have the Parkinson’s? He was diagnosed at at age 83. He has always termer’s since I’ve been alive which is 62 years. Your input would be very helpful for me.
Thank you
It could be hereditary I think
What about a connection to Parkinson’s and “orators”/singers/actors/politicians/world leaders? I mean, you have Ali, Cosell, MJ Fox(actor), Robin Williams(actor and comedian), George Wallace(politician), Billy Graham(yes, that Billy Graham), Pope John Paul(the most popular modern pope), Freddie Roach(boxer AND boxing trainer), world leaders, and a littany of other speakers/singers! The common thread for most of the famous people is that they were speakers–not boxing or fighting. My theory is that you can put mileage on brain by doing certain things that people don’t make much of.
On the case of Clay, boxing may have contributed to it. Still, my viewpoint is that speaking is probably the actual culprit. Also, it’s also far more Caucasian than African. Well, his family was light skinned and you would assume that he has close white ancestry(maybe within 5 generations). His mom was very light skinned and had a very soft voice. So, he had 3 of the factors that are evident in and you’d expect in a Parkinson’s patient from the evidence: 1. speaking a lot for a career*. 2. Caucasian ancestry. 3. huge blows to the head that he absorbed the full energy of at times(trauma). OUT OF THE 3, I THINK THE BOTTOM ONE IS, AT MOST, ONLY A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR. IF IT WAS THE MOST SIGNIFICANT FACTOR, THEN YOU’D SEE A LOT MORE FIGHTERS. THAT’S NOT WHAT YOU SEE. WHAT YOU SEE IS ACTORS, POLITICIANS, ORATORS, SINGERS, ETC.
I would think that it would not matter if you talked professionally or were more of a gossip or social butterfly. Some research needs to be done on this. If they find this, then they likely can prevent frontal lobe decline!
There is an another possibility that not too many scientists consider. Ali might have be given MPTP, a drug that causes PD. Ali never did drugs so it is possible that he was given that PD causing agent! I am not aware of ANY boxer who developed PD or any NFL player who developed PD. Genetic factor does not pan out since NONE of his children have any evidence of PD. Ali was target of various governmental agencies like Dr. King and Malcolm. Assasinating him would have made a global scandel so someone virtually assasinated him by giving him PD. Appearance of Ali’s PD was very peculiar. and did not follow the traditionally known course of PD. Ali had many enemies
It can skip generations..you never know if his great great grandparents had it..and nobody knew about this disease back then