BU Study Of NFL Players ’ Brains Might Help Diagnose CTE In The Living

CNN) — After examining the brains of former professional football players, researchers might be a step closer to diagnosing the devastating brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy in the living, according to a study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. The researchers utilized PET imaging to find tau, an abnormal protein that’s a signature indicator of CTE, using a radioactive drug or tracer called flortaucipir. The researchers imaged the brains of 26 living former football players and compared them with the brains of 31 people with no history of traumatic brain injury. (WBZ-TV) The brains of the former players were more likely to light up and signal tau deposits than those of people who hadn’t had a brain injury. Furthermore, the scans detected tau in the same regions where tau has posthumously been found in CTE-diseased brains. “This is an important next step, but it doesn’t mean we have the answer yet,” said lead study author Robert Stern, director of clinical research for Boston University’s Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center. CTE was discovered in the brain of a former football player, Pittsburgh Steelers center Mike Webster, during an autopsy in 2002. In the 17 years since, over 100 former National Football League players have been diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease, along with other athletes, military veterans and victims of abuse, after their deaths. Yet there is still no way to dia...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Boston News Health CNN CTE Source Type: news