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chronic traumatic encephalopathy

·October 28, 2025·9 min read

Football Players Show Subtle Brain Differences Linked to CTE Risk

Brain scans of former football players revealed subtle differences in brain grooves compared to men who never played contact sports, possibly marking early signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Researchers found that players had shallower grooves in a key frontal region previously associated with CTE and that years of play correlated with structural changes in another area of the brain.

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·September 17, 2025·5 min read

Early Brain Damage From Sports Hits Seen Long Before CTE

New research shows that repetitive head impacts from contact sports trigger early and lasting brain changes in athletes years before chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is detectable. The study found neuron loss, microglial activation, and blood vessel changes in athletes under 51, even in those without tau buildup, the usual CTE marker.

This shows a brain and a football helmet.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·July 11, 2025·5 min read

Study Challenges Link Between Football and Brain Protein Buildup

A new study questions whether playing youth football leads to harmful protein buildup in the brain. Researchers examined 174 donated brains, including former high school and college players, and found no link between contact sports and excess tau protein in a key memory region.

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·November 29, 2024·4 min read

Family History of Mental Illness Increases Aggression Risk in CTE

A new study reveals that individuals with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and a family history of mental illness have a heightened risk of aggression during adulthood, particularly between ages 40 and 59. Researchers analyzed data from 845 men with histories of head injuries, finding that those with both CTE and a family history of mental illness displayed significantly more aggressive behaviors than those with only one risk factor.

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·September 23, 2024·6 min read

One-Third of Former NFL Players Fear They Have CTE

A new study of nearly 2,000 former NFL players reveals that about one-third believe they have chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a condition linked to repeated head trauma. Those who believed they had CTE reported higher rates of cognitive problems, depression, chronic pain, and suicidality compared to those who did not.

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·August 28, 2023·4 min read

41% of Young Athletes Show Signs of CTE

A new study reveals alarming rates of CTE among young athletes under 30, including the first American woman athlete diagnosed with the condition. The study found that 41.4% of the athletes examined had neuropathological evidence of CTE, a degenerative brain disease caused by repetitive head impacts (RHI).

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·June 24, 2023·6 min read

Force, Not Frequency, Key to CTE Onset

Researchers redefined the leading factor contributing to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a severe neurological disorder. Traditionally, CTE was believed to stem from frequent head hits, regardless of concussions.

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·February 10, 2023·5 min read

Review Strengthens Evidence That Repetitive Head Impacts Can Cause CTE

Study confirms that repeated head injuries, concussions, and traumatic brain injury are the chief risk factors for the development of CTE.

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·April 20, 2022·7 min read

Study of Former Notre Dame Football Players Finds College Players More Likely to Have Brain Disorders

College football players are 5 times more likely to report cognitive impairment, 2.5 times more likely to experience recurrent headaches, and 65% more likely to have cardiovascular problems in their lifetime than their non-football playing peers. Additionally, mortality from brain and other nervous system cancers was 4 times higher in former college football players than the general population.

Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·January 3, 2020·2 min read

Using gene therapy to treat CTE

A newly developed adeno-associated virus vector can deliver an anti-p Tau antibody directly to the hippocampus, significantly reducing pTau levels associated with CTE.

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·April 10, 2019·5 min read

Experimental PET scan detects abnormal tau protein in brains of living former NFL players

PET imaging of former NFL players who exhibited cognitive decline and psychiatric symptoms linked to CTE showed higher levels of tau in areas of the brain associated with the neurodegenerative disease.