What parents and the
public should know about the degenerative brain disease, CTE, this football
season
As football season kicks off,
attention is once again turning to chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a neurodegenerative disease associated with repeated head impacts.
Kenneth Podell, Ph.D., a clinical neuropsychologist and director of the Houston Methodist Concussion Center, is available to discuss what
scientists currently know about CTE, who may be at risk and how exposure to
repetitive head impacts may be reduced.
A recent study
estimated that at least one in four former NFL players had CTE. The researchers
also suggested that its prevalence may be higher than estimates derived from
earlier brain-bank studies.
“The evidence is clear that CTE is a
real disease and occurs at elevated rates among former professional, NFL
players,” Podell said. “Long-term exposure to repetitive head impacts appears
to increase that risk. Although we are getting closer to understanding the
factors that contribute to CTE and its prevalence among professional football
players, current estimates remain imprecise because much of the research has
relied on selected samples of donated brains.”
Podell said findings involving former
professional football players should not automatically be applied to younger
athletes. The risk of CTE among individuals who play football only through high
school is substantially lower and the rate has not been determined yet, he
said, noting that current evidence has not established that participation in
football or another contact sport through high school increases the risk of
developing CTE-related dementia later in life.
While some retired professional
football players who experience personality changes or progressive cognitive
difficulties may fear that they have CTE, Podell said, CTE currently can only
be definitively diagnosed through examination of brain tissue after death.
“CTE is a neuropathologic diagnosis
and is not synonymous with dementia,” Podell said. “Not everyone with CTE
pathology develops severe cognitive impairment. Researchers are continuing to
examine the biological, medical and lifestyle factors that may influence
long-term outcomes.”
Podell also said the risk of
concussions and exposure to repetitive head impacts may be reduced by:
·
Following age-appropriate
contact guidelines
·
Limiting full-contact
drills and practices at the youth, high school and collegiate levels
·
Teaching and reinforcing
proper tackling and blocking techniques
·
Continuing to evaluate
helmet improvements and other protective equipment