Brain Damage from Contact Sports May Begin Decades Before CTE Diagnosis: New NIH Study Reveals
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Repeated head impacts in contact sports can trigger significant brain damage – including neuron loss – years before the emergence of detectable signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE),according to groundbreaking research released Wednesday by the National Institutes of health. The findings offer a crucial new understanding of the insidious effects of repetitive head trauma and open avenues for earlier diagnosis and potential treatment.
The long-term neurological consequences of repeated blows to the head have been recognized for years, particularly in athletes participating in sports like boxing, football, soccer, and hockey, as well as in military veterans. CTE, a progressive neurodegenerative disease, is currently diagnosed post-mortem through brain autopsies, though clinicians can frequently enough suspect its presence based on symptoms such as memory loss, cognitive decline, behavioral changes, and difficulties with motor skills. Traditionally, scientists have identified CTE by examining the accumulation of tau protein in nerve cells.
Though, the new study, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, examined the brains of athletes under the age of 51 and revealed concerning changes even in the absence of significant tau buildup.Researchers discovered a striking 56% loss of neurons in a specific region of the brain among athletes with a history of repetitive head impacts.
“This study underscores that many changes in the brain can occur after repetitive head impacts,” stated Walter Koroshetz, director of the NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. “These early brain changes might help diagnose and treat CTE earlier than is currently possible now.”
Immune System Response Linked to Brain damage
The research also highlighted increased activity in microglia, immune cells within the brain, in the younger athletes. Notably, the level of microglia activation correlated with the duration of participation in contact sports – athletes who played for longer periods exhibited greater immune cell response. This suggests that the brain’s inflammatory response to repeated trauma may contribute to the observed neuronal loss.
The NIH emphasized that these findings demonstrate that neuronal damage can occur well before the progress of the hallmark tau markers associated with CTE. This finding has significant implications for the future of athlete safety and neurological research.
CTE’s Impact on Professional Athletes
The devastating effects of CTE have become increasingly apparent through post-mortem studies of numerous professional athletes. Diagnoses have been confirmed in figures such as NFL player and television personality Frank Gifford, former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, and NHL defenseman Derek Boogaard, underscoring the widespread risk associated with contact sports.
This new research provides a critical step toward understanding the early stages of brain damage caused by repetitive head impacts, perhaps paving the way for interventions to mitigate long-term neurological consequences.
Here’s a breakdown answering the “Why, Who, what, and how” questions, turning the update into a substantive news report:
Why: The study was conducted to better understand the early stages of brain damage caused by repetitive head impacts, specifically to determine if damage occurs before the development of CTE’s hallmark tau protein markers. Researchers aimed to identify potential targets for early diagnosis and treatment.
Who: the research was conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), led by Walter Koroshetz, director of the NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and
