One in four NFL players has CTE?

A new study conducted in the United States has reignited concerns about the consequences of repeated head impacts among former National Football League (NFL) players.

According to the researchers,
at least one in four former NFL players may have had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)
at the time of their death.

This neurodegenerative disease is linked to the accumulation of head injuries. It can currently only be diagnosed with certainty after death, through brain analysis. Its symptoms
can be particularly severe: memory impairment, balance issues, cognitive difficulties, depression, aggression, and significant personality changes.

Researchers from Mass General Brigham, Boston University, and the Concussion & CTE Foundation sought to determine how widespread CTE is among all former NFL players, not just those whose brains were donated to research.

More than 90% of the brains examined showed signs of CTE

The research team identified former players who died between 2008 and 2021. Of these, 235 had agreed to donate their brains. The analysis, published in the British Medical Journal, reveals that more than nine out of ten brains examined showed signs consistent with CTE.

The researchers then included the 878 deceased players who had not donated their brains. Even under the most conservative assumption—where only cases observed in donors would be considered as having the condition—the estimated minimum prevalence is approximately 25%.

For Dr. Daniel Daneshvar, the study's lead author, this rate is a particularly alarming sign. The severity of brain lesions also appears to be linked to functional outcomes: approximately six out of ten donors with CTE met the clinical criteria for dementia.

These findings reinforce calls to better protect athletes from head injuries. Canadian neuroscientist Charles Tator believes that these data should serve as a new warning to improve preventive measures in both professional and amateur sports.

Created by humans, assisted by AI.