"I’m willing to pledge my brain to the [US Veterans Affairs-Boston University-Concussion Legacy Foundation] collaboration because this is very, very serious," the Military Times quoted McDonald as saying on Wednesday.
McDonald explained that his brain has been affected by years of playing American football and rugby, boxing as well as because of his career as a US Army paratrooper.
According to current medical research, CTE can lead to memory loss, impulse control problems and dementia. The condition has been blamed for depression and violent behavior among former athletes.
CTE can only be identified in the human brain after death. McDonald joins other current and former military personnel and athletes and who have pledged to donate their brains to the brain bank for future research.
