The Faculty of Medicine of the University of São Paulo (FMUSP) confirmed, this Friday (25), that it received the brain of former boxer José Adilson Rodrigues dos Santos, known as Maguila, for studies on Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). The disease with which the former athlete lived for 18 years is degenerative and affects brain cells through repeated impacts to the head. World heavyweight champion, he passed away last Thursday (24) at the age of 66.
“We decided, during his lifetime, to donate his brain. This was done yesterday [quinta-feira]”, said Maguila’s widow, Irani Pinheiro, at a press conference this Friday at the Legislative Assembly of São Paulo, where her husband’s body was laid to rest during the morning.
Maguila’s brain is the third belonging to an athlete that the FMUSP Biobank for Aging Studies has access to. The entity has already been able to analyze the donations of two more world champions: former boxer Éder Jofre and former football player Bellini, captain of the Brazilian team that won the 1958 World Cup. Both were diagnosed with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy confirmed.
“Clinical suspicion exists, but the diagnosis, for now, is anatomopathological [análise de fragmentos de um tecido retirado do indivíduo]. The importance of the availability of brain tissue from these athletes is enormous for research and science, as, in the end, [o resultado] it reverts to everyone”, said the coordinator of the Scientific Department of Cranioencephalic Trauma at the Brazilian Academy of Neurology (ABN), Maria Elisabeth Ferraz, to Brazil Agency.
“Of course, our biggest goal is prevention, but we often make earlier diagnoses. This prevents the individual from continuing to suffer cranial shocks. If we have biomarkers [indicadores que fornecem dados sobre a saúde da pessoa]laboratory or imaging tests that can make this diagnosis – or suspected diagnosis – earlier, we can further develop prevention”, added the neurologist.
The disease that affected Maguila, Eder Jofre and Bellini was discovered in 2002 by neuropathologist Bennet Omalu. He diagnosed encephalopathy in the corpse of a former American football player named Mike Webster, who had died at age 50 from a heart attack.
The repercussion of studypublished three years later, upset the directors of the league responsible for the sport (NFL, in its acronym in English) and led to threats to the Nigerian-American doctor. More than a decade later, after new research and with athletes suing the courts, the NFL finally established a concussion protocol and invested in technology to increase the safety of the game. The story was even turned into the 2015 film “A Man Among Giants”, starring actor Will Smith.
“[A Encefalopatia Traumática Crônica] culminates in a picture of behavioral, psychiatric, cognitive, memory and balance changes that often develop after the athlete is retired, as it is the result of countless impacts on the brain over years. Of course, environmental and genetic factors also count, but it is a disease that sets in over time, culminating in very serious conditions”, explained Maria Elisabeth.
According to the ABN coordinator, there is no need for the individual to lose consciousness to have suffered a brain injury. According to her, repeated shocks to the head, even without fainting, can already lead to movement of the brain in the braincase.
Finally, the neurologist highlighted a reality beyond sport, but which relates to the dangerousness of encephalopathy. According to the bulletin “Elas Vivem: Liberdade de Ser e Viver”, released in March this year, at least eight women were victims of domestic violence every 24 hours in 2023, in eight of the nine states monitored by the Security Observatory Network: Bahia , Ceará, Maranhão, Pará, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.
“Any type of repeated impact on the brain can lead to cognitive, degenerative and behavioral changes. A woman who chronically suffers domestic violence at home, by her partner or someone else, can also develop this degenerative neurological condition. And it can happen to children”, he warned.
