Adrian Robinson's Brain Disorder, Explained

Adrian Robinson Jr., a professional football player who died by suicide earlier this year, had a brain disease, his autopsy recently revealed. The same disorder has also been found in others who have sustained repeated blows to the head. Robinson, who played for several football teams, including the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Pittsburgh Steelers, died on May 16. During his two years in the National Football League (NFL), he suffered several concussions. Now, an autopsy revealed that he had signs of a chronic brain disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).  "He went from being one of the nicest guys you'd ever want to talk to, to having a darker edge at times," Ben Andreozzi, the lawyer for Robinson's family, told ESPN. "The family started noticing changes in his behavior and didn't know why." Although the degenerative brain disease that Robinson had has gained increasing visibility in recent years, people may not know exactly what CTE is, or who is at greatest risk of developing the disorder.  Causes of the disease CTE, which was traditionally associated with boxers, arises after repeated blows to the head cause brain injury. The disease can cause symptoms such as difficulty learning, memory loss, impaired executive function, depression and suicidal thoughts.  In a person with CTE, the brain injuries lead to the release of an abnormal protein known as tau, which gradually builds up in the brain and damages brain cells. Similar prot...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news