Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Research Paper

“This sport will never die, but it will never again be, as it was until recently, the subject of uncomplicated national enthusiasm.” This thesis statement introduces us to the basis of what this article sets out to convey. Football is a tradition that is loved by America, but previously lacked the issue of concern that it does now. The most concerning issue that the author is talking about is chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. Caused by multiple head injuries, over a span of time, this disease results in atrophy of the brain, mood disorders, and dementia. The hidden damage caused by these injuries is taken into consideration when deciding to play football, however it is believed that this risk will deter players from joining in

Signs such as memory disturbances, behavioral and personality changes, parkinsonism, language, and gait abnormalities are just some of the few consequences people have to live with who are affected with CTE.1,5 The condition is characteristic of atrophy associated with medial and temporal lobes, ventricle dilation, and widespread tau-immunoreactive pathology. Evidence all points that repetitive traumatic brain injuries lead to CTE before any clinical manifestations arise.1 By instituting proper head protection, as well as safer return to play guidelines after head injury, CTE can be dramatically reduced in athletes all around the world. In more drastic approaches, certain high impact sports can be eliminated as a whole in order to greatly reduce CTE in athletes. There is no cure, no treatment options, and no tests available yet to diagnosis this disease. Experts urge that the best preventative to CTE is to avoid all contact sports in altogether, something that millions fail to

The acronym CTE stands for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy which is a continuous disease that inflicts the brain of athletes who suffered ongoing concussions and traumatic brain injuries. This disease was known to affect boxers, however, recent reports published that CTE exists in retired football players and other athletes who have a history of repetitive brain trauma. CTE triggers degeneration of brain tissue and can begin in months, years, or even decades. The symptoms of this disease is usually memory loss, impaired judgement, depression, confusion and impulse control problems.

Concussions can seriously alter one’s life. Concussions are the result of moderate to severe impact to the head with another object. These impacts shake the brain, which is suspended in cerebral fluid, and cause it to scrape against the skull. Concussions can have mild to severe symptoms including insomnia, an inability to concentrate and headaches. Symptoms manifest both physically and mentally and may appear days after the initial trauma, with the possibility of lasting for months. Concussions are extremely prominent in contact sports such as football and hockey at all ages of play, professional to amateur. Multiple concussions may be accompanied by CTE, a neurodegenerative disease associated with

Firstly, the longer and athlete participates in a high-contact sport, the greater the risk they have for developing chronic traumatic encephalopathy. It is also believed that this is developed through repeated brain injury and inflammation within the brain. A protein called the tau protein has been discovered, and this is a molecule that forms deposits and distinct tangles in a brain with chronic traumatic encephalopathy. This discovery is huge and these molecules that are in the inflammation can actually help to possibly diagnose chronic traumatic encephalopathy in people who are still living. It is also known that there are different stages of chronic traumatic encephalopathy. The first and least severe stage is associated with headaches and some difficulty concentrating more than anything else. It is not until the second stage of the disease that people struggle with managing their emotions. At this point, people may have mood swings, depression, short-term memory loss and some problems with language. In Stage 3 and 4 of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the emotional, cognitive and memory symptoms that emerge in Stage 2 worsen. In Stage 4, people can experience dementia symptoms that might be confused for those stemming from Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease. Current research is still going on in hopes of understanding more more about issues

CTE, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, has become a serious issue for NFL players and that issue is only continuing to grow. CTE is a progressive degenerative disease of the brain found in athletes, mostly boxers and football players, with a history of repetitive brain trauma, including symptomatic concussions as well as hits to the head.

Recently, former NFL players have appealed a $1 billion plan to address concussions because it excludes the key brain disease that has commonly been associated with football known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy. This is a type of brain decay that has been found in dozens of past football players after they died. Critics of the NFL's plan have insisted that the deal includes future payments for encephalopathy.

There is a dark cloud hanging over the world of contact sports and it is growing at an alarming rate. With the size and speed of today’s athletes, the sports of football and hockey have become more exciting, fast paced, wide open, and fun to watch. However, there is another consequence of these ever growing athletes on their sports. They have made the collisions in them increasingly more violent. The velocity that these athletes hurl themselves through the air has created an atmosphere that could not have been imagined when these sports were created. Although the athletes’ bodies have become

So what is this CTE that changes an athlete's life forever ? CTE is when you get multiple head trauma. It is a Neurodegenerative disease that causes damage to Neurons. The brain starts to die when having CTE. CTE can only be diagnosed after death when examining someone's brain.

This paper will investigate the epidemiologic and societal connection between developments regarding CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) and its progressive impact in the NFL. Dr. Anne McKee recently concluded her examination of the brains of 111 deceased NFL players – 110 of which were found to have CTE. The study being reviewed doesn’t necessarily mean that 96-99% of all NFL players are at the risk of CTE, but certainly provides an epidemiologic stance on how incidences and accidents relate to the common good of health within a football ecosystem.

“Research on this issue is moving at such a fast pace, but each additional piece of scientific data helps inform players about the risks and allows us to make decisions about making the game safer” (Maland). Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy or CTE is one of the top head trauma diseases related to professional American football. CTE is a rare disease found in athletes who have had repetitive brain trauma, this constant strain on the brain triggers a progressive degeneration of the brain tissue or concussions and a buildup of an uncommon protein called tau. Even after the last head trauma the changes to the brain can occur months, years, or decades after (What is CTE). At this point in time there is no cure for CTE, however there are several

After many studies, researchers have found that a tremendous amount of football players will develop a brain disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). This disease is found mostly in athletes who have encountered direct contact to the head. Most of the time, football players will be afflicted with CTE after receiving multiple hits on or near the helmet. Over time, these hits start to affect players in a negative way causing brain trauma, later resulting in CTE. Consequently, CTE has symptoms that are not pleasant and could change players and their families lives forever; some of the symptoms include mood swings and memory loss. CTE also leads to other health afflictions; from the article, Anne McDonnell states, “Brain injuries

While football is enjoyable to watch and loved by people all over the world, it can be a dangerous sport to play. The injuries that football players sustain during their careers can later be the cause of them obtaining a brain disease resulting in their death. For example football players have a higher risk of being diagnosed with ALS, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). Some studies have shown that a big percentage of ex-football players that have died, once an autopsy was done, that the ex-football player had had Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). The problem is though that CTE can not be diagnosed until after death once an autopsy has

In 2002 Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy was discovered by Bennet Omalu. Omalu was performing an autopsy on former NFL player Mike Webster. He discovered an odd amount of tau protein that had formed on Webster’s brain. After some research was conducted this formation was deemed the name Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. (CTE) This disease, is caused by repetitive brain trauma. This trauma then causes the tau protein to form on the brain and destroy brain tissue. The disease is deadly as it cannot be diagnosed till during the autopsy. The only way to know if someone has Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy is to guess based off their personal history with brain injuries and any possible symptoms.

CTE is a form of neurodegenerative disease that is usually seen in most people that repeatedly take blows to the head. This disease is most common in athletes that participate in football, ice hockey, wrestling, and other serious contact sports. Symptoms of CTE usually start off with deterioration in attention, headaches, and dizziness. Other symptoms that follow the first stage is memory loss, poor judgement, tremors, and suicidality. As of right now the only way CTE can be diagnosed is by direct tissue examination. Although there is no treatment for CTE the solution as of now is to just avoid head injuries.