WASHINGTON, D.C.: The link between concussions and high-impact sports like football is becoming, leading to growing concerns at the professional level, not only over the health of players currently in the game but also for those who have already retired.
In a recent study from Boston University (BU), researchers examined the brains of deceased NFL players and found that 90 out of 94 (95.7%) of them showed signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). CTE is a progressive degenerative brain disease that is most commonly found in individuals who have sustained multiple concussions and other types of brain trauma.
According to the CTE Center at BU, these repetitive trauma incidents can wear away brain tissue and cause a protein called tau to build up in the brain, a substance that has been linked to dementia symptoms in Alzheimer’s patients. These changes may take effect months, or even years, after injuries have been sustained, but they have been associated with issues such as memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, impulse control problems, aggression, depression, and progressive dementia….