White matter rarefaction, arteriolosclerosis, and dorsolateral frontal cortex neurofibrillary tangles are independently associated with dementia among older men who played football and had chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
Detecting CTE in the brains of living individuals could improve our understanding of the disease and inform research regarding prevention and treatment.
American football players frequently have chronic traumatic encephalopathy, with age-related evolution in CTE-related ptau pathology.
While epilepsy-related head trauma was common, 9 of 10 patients displayed no evidence of CTE.
The findings suggest that [F-18]FDDNP-PET imaging can be used to diagnose chronic traumatic encephalopathy in at-risk patients.
The findings add to a growing body of evidence that shows a strong connection between pathological findings of CTE and athletes who suffer repeated head trauma.
