Chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE is a brain condition caused by repeated trauma and injuries in the head and repeated concussions. CTE is a very rare progressive disease where the brain degenerates over time. Repeated head injuries are thought to be the main risk factor in the development of CTE with athletes who play contact sports such as football and boxing and military personnel exposed to explosive blasts being the focus of CTE studies. Previously, CTE was known as punch drunk syndrome but is not used today after studies suggest that CTE is not limited to boxers.
Today, CTE is still not yet well understood and experts are still trying to understand the factors that contribute to CTE which includes the quantity and severity of head injuries and trauma that affects and causes changes in the brain. Although the exact causes are still not yet understood, head impacts such as repeated blows in the head contribute to the development of CTE but not everyone with a history of brain injury as well as those who have a history of concussions may develop CTE. The athletes and military personnel who were the focus of CTE studies did not develop CTE even if they have a history or experiences of repeated concussions.
CTE is believed to develop when a protein that stabilizes brain cells commonly found in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease called tau builds up due to repeated brain injuries. This tau build-up tangles and clumps together, resulting in slow killing of the neurons. These clumps spread to other cells, making it harder for the brain to work. However, this diagnosis can only be made after death, when the brain is sent for autopsy.
