Here’s a scary statistic for you: 96% of deceased NFL football players tested positive for CTE. But CTE is not just an NFL problem. It also extends to other contact sports, most notably boxing. So, what exactly is CTE and should you be concerned? Let’s look at the facts.

1. 7 Things You
Need to Know About CTE
Cerebrum Health Centers

2. 7 Things You Need to Know About CTE
Here’s a scary statistic for you: 96% of deceased NFL football players tested
positive for CTE. But CTE is not just an NFL problem. It also extends to other
contact sports, most notably boxing. So, what exactly is CTE and should you
be concerned? Let’s look at the facts.
What is CTE?
CTE, which stands for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, is a progressive
degenerative brain disease brought on by repeated trauma to the brain,
namely through concussions.
CTE is also known as being “punch drunk” because it was initially associated
with boxing. Doctors have observed the effects of this brain disease since the
1920s. However, no one recognized that athletes from other sports outside of
boxing could also show “punch drunk” symptoms.
That is until Dr. Bennet Omalu, a neuropathologist, discovered that NFL
football players also exhibited symptoms in line with being punch drunk. He
researched Mike Webster, a deceased NFL football, to confirm that CTE
affects professional football players and other athletes who’ve experienced
repetitive brain trauma.
7 Things You Need to Know About CTE

3. 7 Things You Need to Know About CTE
CTE is a progressive degeneration of brain tissue. It’s also marked by a build-
up of the protein tau.
#1: CTE is caused by repetitive injury to the brain.
The most common type of brain injury is a concussion.
There are between two to four million concussions reported annually,
although it’s important to note that the real number is likely much higher. It’s
estimated that only half of concussion-related injuries are reported. The
reason why is two-fold:
First, there’s still a lot of misinformation about this mild brain injury. Many
people believe that the telltale sign of a concussion is the loss of
consciousness. However, most concussions do not result in black out. But
even without a loss of consciousness, the brain can still be injured. And
although the brain can recover, the occurrence of one injury makes the brain
more vulnerable to repeated injury.
The second reason why concussions aren’t always reported has to do with
stigma. The athlete doesn’t want to get pulled from the game, so he or she
may convince themselves and their doctors that no injury has occurred.
However, as athletes start to learn about the dangerous consequences of
brain injury, there has been a rise in reported concussions. In fact, in the
three year period between 2009 and 2012, the amount of concussions
reported each week in the NFL increased by 67%.
#2: CTE is not found in just NFL players.
CTE is tied to sports-related brain injuries. It is a relatively new name for a
disease that dates back to the early 1920s.
7 Things You Need to Know About CTE

4. 7 Things You Need to Know About CTE
It was first observed in boxing, and those who displayed symptoms of brain
injury were known as “punch drunk”.
CTE can affect those who play cricket, ice hockey, major league baseball,
mixed martial arts, professional wrestling, rugby, soccer, and other contact
sports. Extreme sports, where head injury is common, can also put at athlete
at increased risk of developing CTE.
#3: CTE is difficult to diagnose.
Because CTE is still somewhat of a new (and controversial) diagnosis,
research is still in its infancy.
In 2013, UCLA conducted a pilot study of brain tau in retired NFL football
players. They performed PET scans of the brain after injecting a chemical
marker known as FDDNP intravenously. Because FDDNP binds to the tau
protein, this helped researchers determine if the level of tau deposits in the
brain. In the study, there were higher levels of FDDNP in the case group of
retired NFL players when compared with a control group.
CTE cannot be properly diagnosed until after death. This is when the brain
can be examined for the presence of tau. At this time, there isn’t a way to
use CT, MRI, or other brain imaging methods to diagnose CTE on living
patients.
#4: CTE symptoms don’t exhibit immediately.
The symptoms associated with CTE usually show up around ten years after
repetitive brain injury. There are four stages of CTE.
The first stage of CTE can be headaches, dizziness, inattention and trouble
with concentration.
The second stage of CTE includes aggressive behavior, depression, and short-
term memory loss.
7 Things You Need to Know About CTE

5. 7 Things You Need to Know About CTE
Over time, the brain progressively deteriorates into noticeable personality
changes and emotional instability. This is the third stage of CTE. The person
with CTE in this stage may show a lack of good judgment and impulse
control. He or she may participate in dangerous or risky behaviors, such as
excessive gambling and drinking. At this stage, many CTE sufferers often
grapple with deep depression and sociality. Ultimately, they often resort to
suicide.
Eventually, CTE enters into the fourth stage; which includes severe dementia,
slurred speech, body tremors, and vertigo.
CTE doesn’t progress at the same rate. The progression of CTE may be
connected to the amount of repetitive brain injury sustained over the lifetime
of one’s career.
#5: CTE is often paired with other
neurodegenerative diseases.
One out of three cases of CTE also has additional degenerative brain
diseases; including Lewy body dementia (16%), Motor neuron disease
(12%), Alzheimer’s disease (11%), and Frontotemporal lobar degeneration
(6%).
In a 2012 study, the risk of death from degenerative diseases such as
Alzheimer’s and ALS was up to four times higher for NFL football players than
the general population.
#6: There is no cure for CTE.
For now, there is no cure for CTE. Although you can seek help for the
individual symptoms of CTE, such as depression, there isn’t a way to stop or
reverse brain degeneration yet.
7 Things You Need to Know About CTE

6. 7 Things You Need to Know About CTE
#7: CTE may be the most common and dangerous
injury for NFL players.
There’s still a lot of research that needs to be done with CTE, which is
complicated by the fact that CTE can only be definitively diagnosed post-
mortem. However, research on decreased athletes, including professional
football players, wrestlers, and others, indicate that CTE may be more
prevalent than once thought.
Because its symptoms aren’t exhibited until years or even decades after
experiencing a brain injury, CTE is often confused with Alzheimer’s or other
neurodegenerative diseases. However, the unprecedented amount of CTE
cases confirmed post-mortem demand the need for more research into
concussion and concussion prevention.
Learn more at The Cerebrum Health Centers Website
7 Things You Need to Know About CTE