It’s easy this week to get wrapped up in all the hoopla surrounding the NFL draft. But as the league gets ready to welcome a new class of rookies, we all should also remember to keep an eye on the continuing developments surrounding the health issues of former players.

An announcement came out today that I thought was interesting and that I hope helps lead to a better quality of life for at least some former players. The National Football League Alumni Association and Neuralstem Inc. announced they are working together to develop a trial for treating NFL alumni who are suffering from traumatic brain injuries with NSI-189, a neurogenic drug platform.

NSI-189 is apparently a drug being tested as a possible treatment for major depressive disorder and, according to a statement, it appears to work by stimulating neurons in the hippocampus, a region of the brain that atrophies in depression and which also could be implicated in brain injury.

“Neuralstem believes that pre-clinical work, in which NSI-189 stimulated new neuron formation in multiple animal models, as well as data from the current trial in humans, will be applicable to a potential study of NSI-189 in the treatment of traumatic brain symptoms,” according to the statement.

The NFL Alumni Association “is focused on this serious health issue, which is destroying quality of life and has tragically led to several high-profile suicides just this past year among our members,” says Lee Nystrom, a former Green Bay Packer who serves as chairman of the board-emeritus. “The NFL Alumni Association is excited to be working with Neuralstem on this cutting-edge technology.”

Neuralstem also has done work on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, and on other central nervous system conditions. The company hopes to find better ways to prevent traumatic brain injuries and new ways to treat them, says Richard Garr, president and CEO of Neuralstem.

Zoneblitz.com plans to do more work looking into the issues of treatment and care of retired players with physical issues. Best of luck to these two organizations in their work together.