Former BYU football star helps pioneer breakthrough in brain injury treatment and recovery

PROVO — A former Brigham Young University football player and Hall of Famer believes he’s found a groundbreaking solution to the devastating effects of traumatic brain injury — through a new kind of headgear. The energy, the power, and the teamwork of BYU Football are all part of a program focused on elevating athlete performance. But for Colbey Clawson, BYU’s Director of Sports Medicine and Training, peak performance starts in the brain. “I tell our players, everything starts in the brain. Movement starts in the brain, strength starts in the brain, speed starts in the brain,” Clawson said. The secret to brain health may lie inside a small, light-emitting device that you put on like a strap. Though it looks unusual — with tiny flashing red lights and even a component that fits in the nostril — it’s showing promising results. In 2021, BYU participated in a light therapy study using Vielight devices. During the study, 32 healthy football players wore the headsets for 20 minutes, three times a week. Half of the participants used working devices, while the other half wore placebo versions. The study measured cognitive performance, brain inflammation, and tissue damage.Preliminary results showed increases in grip strength, sustained attention, mental speed, reaction time and cognitive control. “The players that used it consistently, their grip strength actually started to improve through the season,” Clawson said. “Whereas the players in the sham group saw a decrease.” Though the official results are still pending publication, BYU trainers say the benefits continue. [gallery ids="806894,806895,806896"] Running back Lucky Finau is convinced. “I’m a believer. 100%,” he said. “We all were getting stronger throughout the season, and we all felt like we could keep our speed.” Offensive lineman Weylin Lapuaho was skeptical at first, but now says, “My mental part of the game definitely went light years ahead.” The idea to use Vielight came from Dr. Larry Carr, an adjunct professor of neurology at the University of Utah. Carr, a former BYU Hall of Famer, suffered a traumatic brain injury and was diagnosed with probable CTE in 2013. After undergoing light therapy treatment at the VA Hospital in Boston, Carr experienced a dramatic turnaround. “I went down a dark hole,” Carr said. “I’m fortunate enough that my wife stayed with me and that I’m alive.” His wife, Laurie, noticed the change quickly. “He was calming down. He was more peaceful, more relaxed,” she said. "It had a tremendous change in emotion, cognitive abilities," added Carr. "I find more peace. I find more purpose." Carr said the brain scans of players in the study showed reduced inflammation in players using the devices, while untreated players showed worsening conditions. “When I left Boston, I turned to my wife and said, ‘I’m going to save football,’” Carr recalled. Carr brought the idea to BYU Athletic Director Tom Holmoe, who immediately saw the potential. “When I heard something could possibly help with concussions and football, I said, ‘I’m in,’” Holmoe said. Brett Mortensen, Director of BYU Football Athletic Training, explained the science behind it. “The theory is, you get ATP, which is the energy most of your body runs on. There’s evidence of decreased neuroinflammatory response in the brain as the season goes on,” Mortensen said. For players like Lapuaho and Clawson, the long-term benefits are just as important. “I want to be able to raise a family, have a wife and kids,” Lapuaho said. “I want to see them high-functioning years and years down the road,” Clawson added. Before the BYU study, researchers tested the devices on Las Vegas firefighters and found a 35% decrease in depression and a 40% drop in PTSD. Carr and his team are now exploring studies with Utah NFL alumni.

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