As we review the nervous system this week, which involves the brain, as an avid football fan I began to think about CTE. There has been a lot of talk over the last 13 years about CTE and football. Players such as Junior Seau, who committed suicide, and Aaron Hernandez who also committed suicide while in prison, had their brains examine after their deaths, showed signs of CTE. This provide some explanation regarding their erratic behavior and possible link to their suicides. The article I found from the Concussion Legacy Foundation takes a deeper dive into what CTE is.
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), is brain degeneration that is caused from repeated trauma to the head. (What is CTE?, 2017) CTE is found in the brains of people who have participated in contact sports such as boxing, football, soccer, ice hockey as well as victims of repeated violence. The repeated trauma to the head causes an abnormal protein, called Tau, to form on the brain and kills brain cells. Victims of CTE do not necessarily need to experience concussions to have CTE. CTE can be a result in hundreds or thousands of head impacts over many years. (What is CTE?, 2017) …show more content…
Th length of exposure to impacts to the head increase the risk of CTE. Athletes who have longer careers in contact sports increase their risk of CTE. Symptoms of CTE are changes in mood such as depression, anxiety and irritability. Headaches and memory problems are other symptoms that are associated with CTE. (What is CTE?, 2017) Behavioral therapy, working with a physician and memory training exercises can help with these symptoms, but there isn’t a cure for CTE itself. Only after death is CTE able to be diagnosed after death as the tissue of the brain needs to be examined. Understanding CTE is still very challenging as we are continuing to learn about the
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), is brain degeneration that is caused from repeated trauma to the head. (What is CTE?, 2017) CTE is found in the brains of people who have participated in contact sports such as boxing, football, soccer, ice hockey as well as victims of repeated violence. The repeated trauma to the head causes an abnormal protein, called Tau, to form on the brain and kills brain cells. Victims of CTE do not necessarily need to experience concussions to have CTE. CTE can be a result in hundreds or thousands of head impacts over many years. (What is CTE?, 2017) …show more content…
Th length of exposure to impacts to the head increase the risk of CTE. Athletes who have longer careers in contact sports increase their risk of CTE. Symptoms of CTE are changes in mood such as depression, anxiety and irritability. Headaches and memory problems are other symptoms that are associated with CTE. (What is CTE?, 2017) Behavioral therapy, working with a physician and memory training exercises can help with these symptoms, but there isn’t a cure for CTE itself. Only after death is CTE able to be diagnosed after death as the tissue of the brain needs to be examined. Understanding CTE is still very challenging as we are continuing to learn about the