PITTSBURGH -- Medical researchers and sports agents from around the world were in Pittsburgh Thursday to talk about the latest methods for diagnosing and treating concussions.

The conference at the Sheraton Station Square gave the UPMC Sports Concussion Program a chance to share results of its latest research.

National Football League player agent Leigh Steinberg, who attended the meeting, told WTAE Channel 4 Action News reporter Sheldon Ingram that concussions are a serious problem and represent an undiagnosed health epidemic.

Steinberg said Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman once suffered a concussion during a game, and the agent visited him in a hospital.

"He asked me what he was doing there, and I said, 'You've suffered a concussion,'" Steinberg said. "He asked if he had played. I said yes. He asked if he played well. I said yes. He asked what did it mean, and I said, 'Well, Troy, you're going to the Super Bowl.'"

Within five minutes, Aikman asked the same question again and again, Steinberg said.

"I answered the questions again. Five more minutes passed, and he asked me the exact same questions," Steinberg said.

Doctors at the conference agree that repeat concussions can set off a traumatic surge of neurological disasters, ranging from Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's symptoms to senility and even depression.

Their focus is on a new, five-stage physical exertion program that will hopefully lessen the consequences of repeat concussions among high school, college and professional athletes.

The idea is to "gradually push the athlete to their maximum capacity to make sure those symptoms don't come back, and only after they pass through our stages of getting back to normal will we let them back in the line of fire," said Dr. Mark Lovell, of UPMC Sports Medicine.

Helmet manufacturers, including Xenith, are releasing new models this year to better protect players' heads, Ingram reported.