5 things to know about chronic traumatic encephelopathy(CTE)

 
The list of football players with a brain disease called chronic traumatic encephelopathy (CTE) continues to grow. But what exactly is CTE? Here are 5 things you need to know.

1. CTE isn't just about concussions

A concussion is a brain injury that occurs from a blow to the head. But it's not just concussions that has researchers worried. In fact, most scientists believe that CTE is a result of the repeated, or sub-concussive, hits to the head. The concern is that each time the head takes a pounding, it shakes the brain inside the skull. All that sloshing around is what can lead up to a build-up of an abnormal protein called tau, which can take over parts of the brain.

2. Harder helmets aren't the answer

People like to point to safer helmets as a solution, but in fact helmets can't do anything to protect your brain from sub-concussive hits. Imagine your brain like an egg; the shell is the helmet, the yolk is your brain. Just because you have a thicker shell, like an egg carton, doesn't protect the yolk from moving back and forth whenever the egg is shaken or moved around.

3. Football players aren't the only people who need to worry about CTE

Despite all the talk about football players, athletes aren't the only ones concerned about CTE. In fact, CTE has been diagnosed in soccer players, baseball players, and possibly even in military veterans. In fact, the first mentions of CTE was a disease in boxers called "dementia pugilistica" or "punch-drunk" syndrome in a 1926 issue of the Journal of American Medical Association. The article said "For some time, fans and promoters have recognized a peculiar condition occurring among prize fighters which, in ring parlance, they speak of as 'punch drunk.' Fighters in whom the early symptoms are well recognized are said by the fans to be 'cuckoo,' 'goofy,' 'cutting paper dolls,' or 'slug nutty.'" 

4. No one knows how prevalent it is

Scientists can't say with certainty who will get CTE. They believe there maybe be genetic and environmental components at play, as well. Researchers at Boston University have found 96% of ex-NFL players suffer from the disease. But that doesn't mean 96% of football players are at risk of having the disease. Remember, the disease has been studied in brains that have been donated by family members who suspected their loved ones may have CTE. It's not completely random -- it's known as selective bias.

5. There is no known cure for CTE

In fact, there's no way to diagnose it in living people currently. The only way to actually diagnose is by autopsy. However, researchers hope that if they can identify it in living people, it will put them a step closer to understanding how the disease progresses and acts, and in turn lead them to a possible cure.