CTE was nearly ubiquitous among former NFL players who donated their brains to science
7 years, 8 months ago

CTE was nearly ubiquitous among former NFL players who donated their brains to science

LA Times  

The NFL issued a statement saying the league “will continue to work with a wide range of experts to improve the health of current and former NFL athletes.” In a group of more than 100 professional football players whose brains were examined after their death, new research has found that virtually all suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a condition likely brought on by repeated blows to the head. Researchers distinguished between brains with “mild” pathology — 44 of the 177 that showed signs of CTE — and those with “severe” levels of the disease’s structural hallmarks — 133 of the 177 brains examined. × CTE was found in a “shockingly high percentage” of former football players who donated their brains to science, according to a new study. For instance, many of the men whose families reported the most problematic symptoms, including mood disturbances, explosiveness and self-harm, were found to have only mild levels of CTE’s distinctive brain abnormalities, McKee said.

Football Players Brain Nfl Study Researchers Played Donated Mckee Cte Brains Former Football Players  brains  players  brain  ubiquitous  played  study  nfl  donated  science  researchers  mckee  football  nearly  cte

History of this topic

Longer careers in ice hockey are linked to a greater risk of CTE, a new study finds
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Longer careers in ice hockey are linked to a greater risk of CTE, a new study finds

NPR  

Longer careers in ice hockey are linked to a greater risk of CTE, a new study finds toggle caption Patrick Smith/Getty Images For years as the link between American football and the degenerative neurological disease known as CTE has come into focus, research on other sports had lagged behind, even for contact sports like ice hockey. The study, published Tuesday …

A third of former NFL players surveyed believe they have CTE, researchers find
6 months ago

A third of former NFL players surveyed believe they have CTE, researchers find

NPR  

A third of former NFL players surveyed believe they have CTE, researchers find toggle caption Jamie Squire/Getty Images One-third of former professional football players reported in a new survey that they believe they have the degenerative brain disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. The research, published Monday in the medical journal JAMA Neurology, represents one of the broadest …

Stephen Colbert Takes A Serious Swipe At The NFL On Its Biggest Night
1 year, 1 month ago

Stephen Colbert Takes A Serious Swipe At The NFL On Its Biggest Night

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING Stephen Colbert offered a mostly goofy monologue on “The Late Show” after the Super Bowl but launched one barb that the NFL might not appreciate. Noting that some tickets hit the $100,000 price tag, he said, “That’s a lot, but of course the memories will last a lifetime ― unless you’re one of the players.” Skewering the …

‘A living hell inside of my head’: For first time, more advanced stage of CTE diagnosed in teen football player
1 year, 4 months ago

‘A living hell inside of my head’: For first time, more advanced stage of CTE diagnosed in teen football player

CNN  

CNN — In July 2019, just months after graduating from high school, 18-year-old Wyatt Bramwell took his own life. In Wyatt’s brain, researchers discovered the first case of stage 2 CTE to be diagnosed in a high school football player, according to Dr. Ann McKee, director of the Boston University CTE Center, who diagnosed Wyatt. “I hope this inspires further …

Serious Brain Trauma Starts Well Before Young Athletes Go Pro
1 year, 6 months ago

Serious Brain Trauma Starts Well Before Young Athletes Go Pro

Wired  

Content warning: This story includes references to death by suicide. One query popped out: “CTE.” CTE stands for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a neurodegenerative brain disease that causes symptoms like memory loss, depression, and emotional dysregulation. Given the NFL-centered media coverage throughout the mid-aughts, “people have this impression that CTE is a disease of former NFL players,” says Julie Stamm, a …

Brain injuries, race and denial in the NFL
2 years, 1 month ago

Brain injuries, race and denial in the NFL

Al Jazeera  

The NFL is a multibillion-dollar industry. The National Football League is the richest professional sports league in the world, but it has been accused of leaving its Black players behind. For years, the NFL fought claims from its own players that the sport could cause long-term brain damage, including a disease known as CTE. The league has since paid a …

Brain injuries in amateur sport a concern for players, trainers, researchers
2 years, 4 months ago

Brain injuries in amateur sport a concern for players, trainers, researchers

ABC  

Toowoomba athlete Jade Hubbard has played most football codes, but after one too many head knocks, she has decided enough is enough. Key points: Research shows amateur players are as much at risk of brain injury from contact sports as professional peers A rugby union player says there needs to be more awareness and better support for concussions at a …

Former rugby league player Paul Green's brain to be donated to science after sudden death
2 years, 7 months ago

Former rugby league player Paul Green's brain to be donated to science after sudden death

ABC  

The brain of late NRL player Paul Green will be donated to science with his wife, Amanda Green, confirming the family's decision to support research at the Australian Sports Brain Bank. Director of the Australian Sports Brain Bank and Clinical Associate Professor Michael Buckland said in a statement the family's decision to donate Green's brain would support critical CTE research. …

New report demonstrates causal link between head impacts and CTE for first time
2 years, 8 months ago

New report demonstrates causal link between head impacts and CTE for first time

New York Times  

A new report has demonstrated a causal link between repetitive head impacts and chronic traumatic encephalopathy for the first time. The research, carried out by Harvard University, Oxford Brookes University and 11 other academic institutions, alongside analysis from the Concussion Legacy Foundation, has found “conclusive evidence” that the progressive brain disease can be linked to sub-concussive blows such as heading. …

New research provides further evidence Dave Watson has CTE, say family
3 years, 3 months ago

New research provides further evidence Dave Watson has CTE, say family

The Independent  

Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for free Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The family of former England captain Dave Watson …

Op-Ed: 5 steps to protect football players’ brains and keep the sport alive
3 years, 6 months ago

Op-Ed: 5 steps to protect football players’ brains and keep the sport alive

LA Times  

Helmet technology is improving, but football players are also bigger than ever and colliding with more force. Having represented professional athletes since 1975, I’ve been worrying about football players’ health since long before the first diagnosis of chronic traumatic encephalopathy in a former NFL player, in 2002. The best way to keep football alive is to ensure standardized safety protocols …

Football has duty to look after former players with dementia, says Brian Deane
3 years, 7 months ago

Football has duty to look after former players with dementia, says Brian Deane

The Independent  

Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for free Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Sixty former players aged between 30 and 70 have thrown their support …

Rugby faces ‘walking time bomb’ as players pursue legal action over degenerative brain disease
4 years, 3 months ago

Rugby faces ‘walking time bomb’ as players pursue legal action over degenerative brain disease

CNN  

CNN — With former players taking legal action over the issue of degenerative brain diseases, rugby could be at the tip of a very large iceberg as it continues to come to terms with the impact of concussion in the sport. In a joint statement, World Rugby, England’s Rugby Football Union and the Welsh Rugby Union said it would be …

NFL ready to help football's governing bodies prevent future brain damage as concussion subs are discussed
5 years, 4 months ago

NFL ready to help football's governing bodies prevent future brain damage as concussion subs are discussed

The Telegraph  

The NFL is ready to meet with football’s governing bodies to share its best practice in protecting players against future brain damage ahead of a meeting next week to discuss the potential introduction of concussion substitutes. Research last month by the University of Glasgow revealed that former professional footballers are at a significantly increased risk of neurodegenerative disease and reported …

FA chairman Greg Clarke calls for concussion substitutes as 'quickly as possible'
5 years, 5 months ago

FA chairman Greg Clarke calls for concussion substitutes as 'quickly as possible'

Daily Mail  

Football Association chairman Greg Clarke hopes concussion substitutes are introduced to the game 'as quickly as possible' in the wake of a report which found a higher incidence of neurodegenerative disease among former footballers than in the general population. FA chairman Greg Clarke urges an introduction of concussion subs as soon as possible This phase of the report has not …

NFL stars' risk of CTE soars by a THIRD every year they play
5 years, 5 months ago

NFL stars' risk of CTE soars by a THIRD every year they play

Daily Mail  

An NFL star's risk of developing the degenerative brain disease CTE goes up by a third every year they play, a study has suggested. Former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez, who played as a tight end, had CTE when he killed himself two years ago at the age of 27 while serving a life sentence for murder But as …

Football players with CTE increase their dementia risk every extra year they play, study finds
5 years, 7 months ago

Football players with CTE increase their dementia risk every extra year they play, study finds

Daily Mail  

A football player's risk of developing dementia after being diagnosed with a brain disorder goes up with every year played, a new study finds. But the team, from Boston University, found that more years spent playing football resulted in density loss of white matter, the tissue through which messages pass within the central nervous system. A new study of football …

Brain scans may reveal signs of CTE in living NFL players
5 years, 11 months ago

Brain scans may reveal signs of CTE in living NFL players

Daily Mail  

Brain scans could show if former athletes who suffer blows to the head during their career have a degenerative disease before they die, scientists say. Researchers conducted scans of former NFL players who were having mood and thinking problems and found they had higher levels of an abnormal brain protein. This image shows an illustration based on brain scans from …

Study finds at least 10% of NFL players could develop CTE
6 years, 3 months ago

Study finds at least 10% of NFL players could develop CTE

LA Times  

At least 10% of NFL players could develop chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the devastating neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated head trauma, according to a study published this week in the journal Neurology. Their work built on a study published last year that found signs of CTE in 110 of 111 brains of deceased NFL players examined by a group associated with …

Four ex-NFL players unite to launch largest ever CTE study
7 years ago

Four ex-NFL players unite to launch largest ever CTE study

Daily Mail  

Four former NFL players have joined the largest study to date into the football-linked brain disease CTE that could lead to a test for athletes during their lifetime. The program, launched today, is the passion project of another former player Jim Joyce, who played for the Denver Broncos before founding biotech firm Exosome Sciences to investigate the diseases that afflict …

NFLPA 'health playbook' educate players on CTE
7 years ago

NFLPA 'health playbook' educate players on CTE

Daily Mail  

The NFL Players Association has created a 'health playbook' aimed at educating players on the risks associated with the high-contact sport. The first-ever football medical guide distributed to NFLPA members this week notably includes information about chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a severe brain injury believed to be caused by repeated blows to the head. A study published last summer looked at …

Knees, Domestic Violence And CTE: Why You Stopped Watching Football
7 years, 1 month ago

Knees, Domestic Violence And CTE: Why You Stopped Watching Football

NPR  

Knees, Domestic Violence And CTE: Why You Stopped Watching Football Enlarge this image toggle caption Jeff Gross/Getty Images Jeff Gross/Getty Images A lot of people watch the Super Bowl every year. Stephanie Norman from Kansas City, Kan., says she was turned off by NFL players "taking a knee" during the national anthem in recent months to protest police brutality and …

Early Signs of Neurodegenerative Disease Found in Athletes Without Concussions
7 years, 2 months ago

Early Signs of Neurodegenerative Disease Found in Athletes Without Concussions

CNN  

A new study has found that CTE can develop without ever experiencing a concussion. The study evaluated the brains of four deceased athletes, ages 17 and 18 years old, who had died within a day to four months of receiving some sort of sport-related head injury and had a history of playing football. Brain changes detected by 24 hours after …

First Case of CTE Confirmed in Living Patient: Former NFL Star Fred McNeill Dies at 30
7 years, 4 months ago

First Case of CTE Confirmed in Living Patient: Former NFL Star Fred McNeill Dies at 30

CNN  

Researchers have confirmed the first case of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in a living patient. The case involves former NFL player Fred McNeill, who died in 2015. The disease was diagnosed using a radioactive tracer called FDDNP, which binds to tau proteins in the brain. McNeill's symptoms included memory loss, anger, and depression, which are characteristic symptoms of CTE. The …

The More We Learn About CTE, The Harder It Is For Football To Stay The Same
7 years, 5 months ago

The More We Learn About CTE, The Harder It Is For Football To Stay The Same

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING The lawyer for Aaron Hernandez is suing the National Football League after an autopsy found that the 27-year-old player, who died by suicide after being convicted of murder, had a brain disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy. “They have different environmental factors that can come into play.” What researchers do know, Cherry said, is that CTE doesn’t require …

Scientists may have found a way to diagnose CTE in football players while they’re still alive
7 years, 6 months ago

Scientists may have found a way to diagnose CTE in football players while they’re still alive

LA Times  

It is a humbling but very motivating fact that a person currently has to die before doctors can make a diagnosis of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the degenerative brain disease that afflicts many professional football players and other athletes who have sustained repeated blows to the head. On Tuesday, the Boston-based researchers who have pioneered the identification of CTE in contact-sport …

NFL cuts ties with NIH concussion study
7 years, 7 months ago

NFL cuts ties with NIH concussion study

Daily Mail  

The NFL has cut ties with the National Institutes of Health study into concussion after years of feuding over critical researchers. And this week, just days before the NFL and NIH announced the end of their partnership, Dr Stern's research team published an explosive report, revealing 110 out of 111 deceased NFL players had signs of CTE in post-mortem examinations. …

Brain disease seen in most football players in large report
7 years, 8 months ago

Brain disease seen in most football players in large report

Associated Press  

CHICAGO — Research on 202 former football players found evidence of a brain disease linked to repeated head blows in nearly all of them, from athletes in the National Football League, college and even high school. The report doesn’t confirm that the condition is common in all football players; it reflects high occurrence in samples at a Boston brain bank …

Brain disease seen in most football players in large report
7 years, 8 months ago

Brain disease seen in most football players in large report

Associated Press  

CHICAGO — Research on 202 former football players found evidence of a brain disease linked to repeated head blows in nearly all of them, from athletes in the National Football League, college and even high school. The report doesn’t confirm that the condition is common in all football players; it reflects high occurrence in samples at a Boston brain bank …

Brain disease seen in most football players in large report
7 years, 8 months ago

Brain disease seen in most football players in large report

Associated Press  

CHICAGO — Research on 202 former football players found evidence of a brain disease linked to repeated head blows in nearly all of them, from athletes in the National Football League, college and even high school. The report doesn’t confirm that the condition is common in all football players; it reflects high occurrence in samples at a Boston brain bank …

99 Percent Of Studied NFL Brains Diagnosed With CTE, Researchers Say
7 years, 8 months ago

99 Percent Of Studied NFL Brains Diagnosed With CTE, Researchers Say

Huff Post  

A number of the brains studied by doctor Ann McKee and her researchers. BU Photography A new study out of Boston diagnosed a startlingly high percentage of deceased NFL players with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and the numbers don’t get much better when you move on down to college players. All told, the researchers found 87 percent of the players to …

NFL brain study diagnoses CTE in 99% of ex-players' brains
7 years, 8 months ago

NFL brain study diagnoses CTE in 99% of ex-players' brains

Daily Mail  

The biggest ever study into football brain injuries has diagnosed CTE in 99 percent of former NFL players' brains in post-mortem examinations. More than 1,800 former athletes and military veterans have pledged to donate their brains to the Concussion Legacy Foundation for CTE research. CTE was usually associated with boxing before former NFL players began revealing their conditions. The study …

Jeff Astle's family secure vital breakthrough in their fight for research into brain disease in football
7 years, 11 months ago

Jeff Astle's family secure vital breakthrough in their fight for research into brain disease in football

The Independent  

Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for free Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The family of Jeff Astle have secured a …

Why has it taken non-football specialists to investigate dementia link while football's authorities dither?
8 years, 1 month ago

Why has it taken non-football specialists to investigate dementia link while football's authorities dither?

The Independent  

Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for free Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. But the paper still does not provide a definitive link between CTE …

Most-detailed British study into football's dementia link concludes condition may be related to heading
8 years, 1 month ago

Most-detailed British study into football's dementia link concludes condition may be related to heading

The Independent  

Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for free Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The most detailed British research ever undertaken into …

PFA faces pressure to fund dementia research as details emerge of study into footballers' brain formation
8 years, 1 month ago

PFA faces pressure to fund dementia research as details emerge of study into footballers' brain formation

The Independent  

Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for free Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The United States is far ahead of the UK in its investigations …

Leading CTE Expert Speaks Out
8 years, 2 months ago

Leading CTE Expert Speaks Out

Huff Post  

Ann McKee, M.D., is a neuropathologist who specializes in neurodegenerative disease, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy, at Boston University School of Medicine. Reed: In people that play football for approximately the same amount of time, some develop CTE symptoms and some don't. The only thing that would really keep the brain from sloshing back and forth due to rotational and linear …

For high school football players, just a season of play brings brain changes
8 years, 3 months ago

For high school football players, just a season of play brings brain changes

LA Times  

Without sustaining a single concussion, a North Carolina high school football team showed worrisome brain changes after a single season of play, a new study has shown. A detailed effort to capture the on-field experiences of 24 high school football players showed that, at the end of a single season of play, teammates whose heads sustained the most frequent contact …

NFL vice-president Jeff Miller acknowledges link between concussions and CTE brain condition
9 years ago

NFL vice-president Jeff Miller acknowledges link between concussions and CTE brain condition

ABC  

A top NFL official acknowledged for the first time on Tuesday a link between football-related concussions and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the degenerative brain condition caused by repeated blows to the head. The statement came from the National Football League's senior vice president for health and safety, Jeff Miller, when he was asked during a hearing before the U.S. House of …

In A First, NFL Executive Admits Football Is Linked To Brain Damage
9 years ago

In A First, NFL Executive Admits Football Is Linked To Brain Damage

NPR  

In A First, NFL Executive Admits Football Is Linked To Brain Damage Enlarge this image toggle caption Doug Pensinger/Getty Images Doug Pensinger/Getty Images A discussion on Capitol Hill about concussion research brought a startling moment Monday, as an NFL executive acknowledged for the first time that football has been linked to a degenerative brain disease. Jeff Miller, the NFL's executive …

CTE: 5 things to know
9 years, 1 month ago

CTE: 5 things to know

CNN  

Story highlights CTE results from repeated hits to the head A study found that 96% of former pro football players have the brain disease A variant of CTE was documented as far back as 1928 CNN — The list of football players with a brain disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, continues to grow. Harder helmets aren’t the answer …

NFL great Frank Gifford had degenerative brain disease, family announces
9 years, 4 months ago

NFL great Frank Gifford had degenerative brain disease, family announces

LA Times  

Frank Gifford, the Pro Football Hall of Famer and USC All-American who died of natural causes in August, suffered from a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head trauma, his family announced Wednesday. “We decided to disclose our loved one’s condition to honor Frank’s legacy of promoting player safety dating back to his involvement in the formation of the NFL …

High school football can damage the brain in just ONE season
10 years, 3 months ago

High school football can damage the brain in just ONE season

Daily Mail  

Researchers have found that playing a single season of football can change the brain of a teenager - even if they don't suffer concussions. Even though players were not concussed during the season, researchers found abnormalities similar to the effects of mild traumatic brain injury. Even though the high school players analysed were not concussed during the season, researchers found …

Real Men and Traumatized Seahorses: The Legacy of War and Contact Sports
10 years, 9 months ago

Real Men and Traumatized Seahorses: The Legacy of War and Contact Sports

Huff Post  

He can't remember his daughter playing soccer. During the streak of consecutive starts, Favre suffered injuries including: a shoulder separation, a deep thigh bruise, a severely bruised left hip, a severely sprained left ankle, a sprained right thumb, right elbow tendinitis, a left mid-foot sprain, a sprained lateral collateral ligament of the left knee, a broken left thumb, a softball-sized …

Sidelined By Brain Injury, Ex-NFL Player Copes With 'Desperation'
11 years, 1 month ago

Sidelined By Brain Injury, Ex-NFL Player Copes With 'Desperation'

NPR  

Sidelined By Brain Injury, Ex-NFL Player Copes With 'Desperation' Enlarge this image toggle caption Stephen Dunn/Getty Images Stephen Dunn/Getty Images The home of Sean Morey bears the impressive signposts of his 10-year career in the NFL: a Vince Lombardi trophy for his Super Bowl championship with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2006. But look in Morey's medicine cabinet, and you'll find …

Concussion Research Slowed By Shortage Of Donated Brains
11 years, 3 months ago

Concussion Research Slowed By Shortage Of Donated Brains

NPR  

Concussion Research Slowed By Shortage Of Donated Brains Enlarge this image toggle caption Seth Perlman/AP Seth Perlman/AP Former NFL linebacker Jovan Belcher's body was exhumed last week so doctors can perform tests on the remains of his brain. "We're really stymied in our ability to make progress just because there's not that much brain tissue," Koroshetz says. He points to …

NFL players found to have 'pronounced abnormalities' in brain function according to new study
11 years, 5 months ago

NFL players found to have 'pronounced abnormalities' in brain function according to new study

ABC  

Scans have revealed "profound abnormalities" in the brain activity of retired American football players, a study into the long-term risks of the combative sport said on Thursday. "The NFL alumni showed some of the most pronounced abnormalities in brain activity that I have ever seen," said lead author Adam Hampshire, a neuroscientist at Imperial College London. " The scans revealed …

When It Comes To Brain Injury, Authors Say NFL Is In A 'League Of Denial'
11 years, 5 months ago

When It Comes To Brain Injury, Authors Say NFL Is In A 'League Of Denial'

NPR  

When It Comes To Brain Injury, Authors Say NFL Is In A 'League Of Denial' toggle caption Keith Srakocic/AP When the Pittsburgh Steelers won four Super Bowls in the 1970s, you could argue that no one played a bigger role than Mike Webster. League Of Denial The NFL, Concussions and the Battle for Truth By Mark Fainaru-Wada, Steve Fainaru Purchase …

Vets Return With Brain Injuries Oft Seen In Football
12 years, 10 months ago

Vets Return With Brain Injuries Oft Seen In Football

NPR  

Vets Return With Brain Injuries Oft Seen In Football Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is best-known for affecting football players; repeated bangs to the head can hurt the parts of the brain that direct impulse, memory and emotion. Now, scientists have known for years that athletes like boxers and pro football players are prone to developing a degenerative brain disease called chronic …

Discover Related