92% of Athletes Studied Had CTE
Here’s What They Don’t Want You to Know Part 1
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Opening Questions:
Does your child play football, soccer, or hockey?
Are you aware of the risks lurking behind these sports?
Have you heard of CTE?
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Neuro Athletes,
Sports are essential for social and physical development, but not all risks are visible. Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a progressive brain disease caused by repeated head trauma—often from contact sports. Dr. Ann McKee's research reveals that even young athletes are at risk.
A shocking 41% of athletes under 30 who played contact sports showed early signs of CTE.
Here’s what happens: repeated impacts, even those that don’t cause concussions, can stretch and damage the brain. Over time, this leads to the accumulation of tau protein deposits, disrupting brain function and causing symptoms like depression, aggression, and memory loss.
What Is CTE?
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a progressive brain disease caused by repetitive head impacts. Unlike a single concussion, CTE develops over time from cumulative hits—even those that don’t result in immediate symptoms, known as subconcussive impacts.
Here’s what happens:
Each hit causes the brain to stretch and twist within the skull, damaging neural tissue and blood vessels.
Over time, this damage triggers the buildup of tau proteins, which form clumps that disrupt brain function.
CTE starts subtly but progresses to severe issues like memory loss, emotional instability, and eventually dementia.
Sports Most Likely to Cause CTE
Contact sports with frequent head impacts are the leading culprits. These include:
American football: Known for hard tackles, this sport has one of the highest incidences of CTE.
Boxing and MMA: Athletes in combat sports experience repetitive blows directly to the head.
Soccer: Frequent heading of the ball, combined with player collisions, contributes to long-term brain damage.
Rugby and ice hockey: High-speed impacts and tackles make these sports similarly risky.
Even amateur and youth players are at risk. Research shows that for every 2.6 years of playing American football, the risk of developing CTE doubles.
How Fragile Is the Human Brain?
The brain is remarkably complex yet incredibly vulnerable. It sits suspended in fluid within the skull, making it susceptible to rapid acceleration or deceleration forces. When the head experiences a hit, two primary mechanisms of damage occur:
Shearing Forces: Rapid stretching and tearing of nerve fibers disrupts communication between neurons.
Blood Vessel Injury: Tiny blood vessels rupture, leading to inflammation and leaking of harmful substances into the brain.
This kind of damage is cumulative. Even small, repeated hits—like heading a soccer ball—can cause long-term harm.
What Happens Inside the Brain?
When the brain experiences repetitive trauma, it undergoes structural and biochemical changes:
Tau Protein Buildup: Abnormal deposits of tau proteins accumulate around blood vessels and in the brain's crevices, disrupting normal function.
Frontal Lobe Damage: The frontal lobe, responsible for decision-making, impulse control, and emotional regulation, is often the first area affected.
Inflammation: Repeated impacts trigger chronic inflammation, accelerating brain degeneration.
The damage begins in small, localized areas but eventually spreads throughout the brain, leading to widespread dysfunction.
How Common Is CTE?
The prevalence of CTE is startling:
92% of studied NFL players had CTE at autopsy.
41% of athletes under 30 in contact sports showed early signs of the disease.
Cases have been documented even in high school players across sports like soccer, rugby, and hockey.
These findings challenge the misconception that CTE only affects professional athletes. It can start much earlier, often during the formative years of youth sports.
How CTE Affects Daily Life
CTE doesn’t develop overnight. Its symptoms often emerge gradually but can disrupt every aspect of life. Common early symptoms include:
Mood Changes: Depression, anxiety, and emotional instability.
Behavioral Issues: Increased aggression, impulsivity, and poor decision-making.
Cognitive Decline: Memory problems, confusion, and difficulty concentrating.
Personality Shifts: Relationships and social interactions often suffer as the disease progresses.
These symptoms may begin subtly in the late teens or early twenties and worsen over time, eventually leading to dementia in severe cases.
Protecting you child against CTE
Protecting yourself or your loved ones starts with awareness:
Limit Full-Contact Play: Delay exposure to contact sports until the body is physically mature.
Advocate for Safer Practices: Encourage the use of protective gear and reduced contact in practices.
Recognize Symptoms Early: Report any mood, cognitive, or behavioral changes immediately.
Team, protecting our brains means protecting our futures—this isn’t just about statistics or policies; it’s about real people, real lives, and the decisions we make today to safeguard tomorrow.
As someone deeply committed to the health and performance of the human brain, I want us to challenge the norms, ask the hard questions, and take the steps that truly matter—for ourselves, our loved ones, and the generations that follow
Coming Next: Part 2
In the next newsletter, we’ll dive into the early warning signs of CTE, why they’re often missed, and what you can do to protect your brain.
Neurophysiologist
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