![]() ![]() Since then, CTE has been found in the brains of 110 out of 111 former NFL players who donated their brains to research.ĬTE has many of the same physiological hallmarks of forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, particularly the abnormal accumulation in the brain of a protein called tau. This is one of two proteins known to accumulate in the brain in Alzheimer’s disease. When Omalu looked at Webster’s brain tissue under the microscope he observed concentrations of a material known as tau. It was first discovered by neuropathologist Dr Bennet Omalu in the early 2000s in the brain of Mike Webster, a former National Football League (NFL) player. There is now evidence that repeated concussions could be associated with the development in later life of a particular kind of degenerative disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).ĬTE is a progressive disease with Alzheimer’s-like symptoms. What is Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)? Another study of death certificates found that the death rate from neurodegenerative diseases was three times higher for pro-footballers than the general population. A survey of more than 2000 retired professional players found that those with a history of multiple concussions were three times more likely to have been diagnosed with clinical depression. Repeated concussion has been linked to increased risk of neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, as well as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).ĭata from studies of former American footballers is staggering. For example, figures from one study that analysed the records of more than 160,000 trauma patients identified that, in patients aged 65 and older, just one concussion was associated with a 22-26% increase in the risk of dementia in the following five to seven years.Įven clearer is research showing that neurological damage accumulates with multiple knocks to the head, even when they are apparently symptomless, or ‘sub-concussive’. While the short-term symptoms of concussion are reversible, research suggests that even a single knock to the head can have severe consequences later in life. A concussion forced him to retire from the AFL Brisbane Lions team and he still feels the effects of post-cocussion syndrome more than a year later. QBI concussion research ambassador Justin Clarke, knows this all too well. “I was so desperate to just feel myself again but I struggled to do even daily activities such as the grocery shopping,” she wrote. ![]() Her symptoms included headaches, inability to sleep, memory problems and constant drowsiness. This was the experience of Australian tennis player Casey Dellacqua.ĭellacqua, who suffered a heavy on-court fall in October 2015, wrote in a blog post that post-concussion syndrome was “honestly some of the scariest stuff” she had experienced. "I can only judge from my own experience about seeing patients, as there’s no real data – the average time course is that they get stuck for months, about four to five months on average." "There’s a small subset of people who get stuck," says Professor Mike O'Sullivan, neurologist and concussion researcher at QBI. Symptoms are usually evident within seven to 10 days after a concussion, and can persist for weeks, months, and sometimes years. Return to contact sport should be gradual: the ‘if in doubt, sit it out’ rule-of-thumb is now adhered to by many sporting codes.Ī very small percentage of people who sustain a concussion go on to develop what is known as post-concussion syndrome. For short-term recovery, the brain changes that occur after a single concussion don’t appear to have clear long-term cognitive effects, and symptoms usually disappear within a few days. ![]()
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