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posted by martyb on Friday April 12 2019, @07:39PM   Printer-friendly
from the took-too-many-hits-for-the-team dept.

Abnormal Levels of a Protein Linked to C.T.E.[*] Found in N.F.L Players' Brains, Study Shows

Experimental brain scans of more than two dozen former N.F.L. players found that the men had abnormal levels of the protein linked to chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the degenerative brain disease associated with repeated hits to the head.

Using positron emission tomography, or PET, scans, the researchers found "elevated amounts of abnormal tau protein" in the parts of the brain associated with the disease, known as C.T.E., compared to men of similar age who had not played football.

The authors of the study and outside experts stressed that such tau imaging is far from a diagnostic test for C.T.E., which is likely years away and could include other markers, from blood and spinal fluid.

The results of the study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday [DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1900757] [DX], are considered preliminary, but constitute a first step toward developing a clinical test to determine the presence of C.T.E. in living players, as well as early signs and potential risk.

[*] CTE: Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy

Also at NBC.

Editorial: Links in the Chain of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (DOI: 10.1056/NEJMe1903746) (DX)

Related: NFL Acknowledges Link Between American Football and CTE
What if PTSD is More Physical Than Psychological?
Ailing NFL Players' Brains Show Signs of Neurodegenerative Disease
Former Football Star Aaron Hernandez's Brain Found to Have Severe CTE
Researchers: Aaron Hernandez Had the Worst Case of CTE Ever Seen in an Athlete So Young
CTE Can be Diagnosed in a Living Person


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  • (Score: 3, Funny) by driverless on Saturday April 13 2019, @12:56AM (1 child)

    by driverless (4770) on Saturday April 13 2019, @12:56AM (#828811)

    former N.F.L. players found that the men had abnormal levels of the protein

    Thus confirming that professional football players are meatheads?

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 13 2019, @04:45AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 13 2019, @04:45AM (#828867)

    Exactly! These folks may have been meatheads their whole lives. I saw plenty of these folks in high school who couldn't count to five without taking off their shoes. Took them twenty minutes to figure out how to get their shoes off in the first place!