Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy{CTE} & Its Association With Head Injury -Latest Developments

Hello, Everyone!

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy is a sort of neurodegenerative dysfunction that is likely to be associated with repeated head injuries.

The major difficulty in identifying this dysfunction is an autopsy of the brain and cannot be detected in living beings.

There is much still to be researched about the disease such as the precise cause behind this disorder, what sort of medical care to be given, and how it can be staved off, however; the dysfunction has drawn attention in the sports arena due to its considerable link to frequent injuries to the head.

In this blog post, we will delve into the risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatments for CTE.

So let us get started one by one.

Potential Risk Factors Behind CTE:

CTE seems to be associated with frequent head trauma since the people who suffered from CTE have faced numerous head hits, but the exact connection is still waiting to be unveiled.

CTE seems to be linked to multiple incidents of trauma and not just one incident of head injury. However, it is still obscure how many head injuries and in what time duration will lead to the occurrence of symptoms of CTE.

It is noteworthy that it is not just the deterministic concussions but according to recent studies, subconcussive hits might also trigger CTE.

Hereditary predisposition and its link to CTE is yet to be discovered.

Symptoms Of CTE:

As per medicare professionals, definitive neurological symptoms may hint at CTE.

Some of them caused by CTE are:

->Cognitive changes

->Mood Swings

->Behaviroal Changes

->Trouble Thinking and /or

->Long-drawn memory loss

->Depression

->Anxiety

->Fluctuating Moods

->Challenged Judgements

->Rash or Random behaviour--[like aggression,headaches,paranoia,suicidal thoughts and actions which finally leads to dementia]

As per medicare professionals, definitive neurological symptoms may hint at CTE. Some of them caused by CTE are: ->Cognitive changes ->Mood Swings ->Behaviroal Changes ->Trouble Thinking and /or ->Long-drawn memory loss ->Depression ->Anxiety ->Fluctuating Moods ->Challenged Judgements ->Rash or Random behaviour--[like aggression,headaches,paranoia,suicidal thoughts and actions which finally leads to dementia]

Pic Source: Concussion Alliance

Pic URL :https://www.concussionalliance.org/neurodegenerative-diseases

Prognosis Of CTE:[How CTE is diagnosed]

The brain disorder can be detected by brain autopsy officially and not on living beings. In brain autopsy, an exclusive protein aggregation called the tau protein is sought after in the brain.

How CTE Can Be Treated:

The exact treatment is still waiting to be discovered by the medicare professionals. However,the symptoms can be addressed .Since there is no precise remedy for the disease the medical guidelines are not preset by the doctors.

->For the prevention of CTE , keeping away from situations leading to frequent head impact will be a potential preventive measure.

->The brain can be protected through underscoring the significant playing tactics while playing football and excersising ways to increase neck strength. The sporadic play guidelines might also be beneficial in diagnosoing,adressing and recovering from the head injuries.

Latest Developments:

By far an autopsy was the only option for the disease prognosis.

However, the researchers from Boston University in their recent studies have discovered a exact association with the amount of protein named p-tau in the brain and the intensity of the symptoms faced by individuals.The p-tau accumulation occurs in particular areas of the brain.

This recent study opens a gateway for the disease diagnosis in living beings too.

Conclusively,we can say with medical advancements thee will an nuanced approach regarding CTE such as ways significant causes,triggering factors,its precise detection and exact mechanism to accuractely treat it. The sports areana and news media has spurred the awareness and expedited the need for advanced research .Lastly,the recent study by Boston University's CTE Center emphasising the exact connection between p-tau protein and CTE symptoms paves teh way for diagnosing CTE in living individuals.

Thank You.

References:

https://www.americanbrainfoundation.org/diseases/cte/

https://www.bu.edu/articles/2024/researchers-one-step-closer-diagnosing-cte/#:~:text=In%20a%20paper%20published%20in,behavioral%20symptoms%20during%20their%20life.