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CTEThe degenerative brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) has been diagnosed in 110 of 111 former NFL players whose brains were donated for research, according to a study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association on Tuesday. Nike Men's Junior Seau San Diego Chargers Retired Game Jersey - Blue S This authentic Nfl jersey celebrates the extraordinary career of one of the league's all-time greats. With the Nike Nfl Retired Game jersey, you can show your admiration for your favorite retire players' exploits on the field. This football jersey features the player number on the front and his name and number on the back. Macy's | Sponsored In total, CTE was diagnosed in 87% of 202 former football players --- including high school, college, NFL, Canadian Football League and semipro. The study, the largest conducted into the potential link of brain trauma in football and CTE, was led by researchers at Boston University and the VA Boston Healthcare System. "This is just a tremendous resource for research," Boston University neuropathologist Ann McKee, a co-author on the study, said in an interview with USA TODAY Sports. "All this tissue was very generously donated. But it's not just sitting in a vault. It can be used by researchers to detect the disease, and to help find the disease during a person's life," McKee said. The authors of the study wrote in their report: “The findings suggest that CTE may be related to prior participation in football, and that a high level of play may be related to substantial disease burden." Tuesday’s study also found the following:
Researchers believe behavioral and mood symptoms -- including impulsivity and anxiety -- are both telltale signs of early stages of the disease. Once it progresses, CTE can impact speech, memory and motor functions. The NFL and other sports organizations have enhanced their concussion protocols as research and lawsuits mounted over the last decade. The origins of CTE research go back about century when it was referred to as pugilistic dementia, an ailment first noticed in boxers. Researchers for more than a decade have furthered the understanding of what is now known as CTE, including the pioneering work of neuropathologist Bennet Omalu’s study of the brain of former Pittsburgh Steelers great Mike Webster. Since Webster’s death at age 50 in 2002, other high-profile players -- including Seau, Frank Gifford, John Mackey and Kenny Stabler -- were diagnosed with CTE after their deaths. While researchers are working to diagnose CTE via a blood test or imaging, the only scientifically accepted method to detect CTE currently is a postmortem examination of the brain. |
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