C.T.E

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy

VERA LEE, opinion editor

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy is a rare brain disorder most commonly found in athletes of high-impact sports such as football and wrestling. According to the Boston University CTE center, CTE is believed to be caused by repeated injuries to the head. These injuries may cause lesions and a “build-up of an abnormal protein called tau in a unique pattern” which slowly deteriorates the brain. Like other degenerative brain ailments, CTE consists of memory problems like dementia, as well as behavioral problems like increased aggression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. Currently, around six percent of the population is expected to or currently show signs of CTE. This number could be even greater considering that the amount of knowledge the world has about this disorder is limited. One of the main factors contributing to this is due to the fact that signs of CTE do not show up on regular brain imaging technology like MRI or CT scans. The only way of truly diagnosing CTE is after the patient’s death through an autopsy report. Therefore, most of the information about CTE can only be known by the few brains that are donated to research centers. There is a widely spread misconception that frequent concussions cause the development of CTE, but according to a research study done by Boston University, about 20 percent of people with CTE have never had a serious concussion. Researchers have found that there is no strong connection between concussions and the development of CTE, and that the disorder is most likely caused by a high frequency of smaller hits to the head, which is why professional athletes in contact sports, like those in the NFL, have a higher risk of CTE. In 2017, another research study conducted by Boston University found that 110 out of 111 brains of former NFL players had some form of CTE. One of the more famous examples of this is Aaron Hernandez, a former tight end for the New England Patriots who was later convicted of murder and commited suicide at the age of 27. Hernandez’s violent mood swings and impaired judgment may have occurred because he suffered from one of the more severe cases of CTE. Another example of this includes Demaryius Thomas, a former wide receiver for the Denver Broncos who died last year at 34 years of age. Given that around 99 percent of the brains researched had CTE, it is expected that a large number of current NFL athletes may have the disorder. At this time, there is no cure or treatment for CTE. Because scientists are not able to diagnose CTE before death, curing CTE is almost impossible. According to a Mayo Clinic research study, the development of CTE is 13 times more likely for football players who played beyond the high school level than non-athletes. This limited knowledge means the only way to gaurantee no CTE injuries is to not particpate in these activities.