NFL Players who had Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy

hronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) a form of encephalopathy is a progressive degenerative disease found in people with a history of repetitive brain trauma including symptomatic concussions as well as sub-concussive hits to the head that do not cause immediate symptoms. The disease was previously called dementia pugilistica (DP) i.e. "punch-drunk" as it was initially found in those with a history of boxing. In the case of blast injury a single exposure to a blast and the subsequent violent movement of the head in the blast wind can cause the condition. CTE has been most commonly found in professional athletes participating in American football association football ice hockey professional wrestling stunt performing cheerleading and other contact sports who have experienced repetitive brain trauma. In both cases resulting in characteristic degeneration of brain tissue and the accumulation of tau protein. Individuals with CTE may show symptoms of dementia such as memory loss aggression confusion and depression which generally appear years or many decades after the trauma. Baseline testing has been created to assess potential cognitive impairment in athletes in contact sports but a test to determine the presence of CTE while the person is alive is not yet available