Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy: CTE Analysis

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy also known as CTE is a degenerative disease of the brain that is most common in athletes, military veterans and others who have experienced significant brain trauma. In athletes it is most common players who have played in the NFL. The disease cannot be diagnosed until the affected person has died and has had a postmortem neuropathological analysis. CTE was first discussed in 1928 by Dr. Harrison Martland, when he described boxers as having Punch Drunk Syndrome, a certain type of CTE [1]. It occurs due to repeated brain trauma over and extended period of time and symptoms of CTE can begin to occur any time from a few years after retirement to decades after a player has retired, although it could vary. Symptoms include, memory loss, impaired judgement, confusion, impulse control problems, aggression, depression, suicidal tendencies, Parkinson’s disease and dementia. Many players have succumbed to these symptoms, more specifically suicidal tendencies, as many players who have donated their brains for research have committed suicide. On many occasions the NFL has denied that there is a link between American Football and CTE but on Monday 14th March 2016 the NFL’s top health and safety officer acknowledged that there is a link between football related

There are only 16 games in an NFL season. Concussions and other repeated head trauma over a players career is the main cause of CTE. For someone to be officially diagnosed with CTE, they need to have had a neuropathological analysis, which can only be conducted after the affected person has died. Recently with all the information being released about the link between NFL and CTE many former players are pledging their brains to be researched once they have died. Among the topics discussed when talking about concussions, CTE and repeated head trauma in the NFL is the