The Faces of CTE CTE Stages
Step 2: Light exercise: walking, swimming, stationary
Step 4: More vigorous but non-contact training
Step 6: Return to full game play including contact.
Concussion Recovery Process Step 1: No activity: complete physical and mental rest from play, work or school.
Step 3: Sport-specific exercise but no head-impact sports.
Step 5: Full-contact practice: normal activities after medical clearance.
THE SILENT KILLER With concussion awareness in professional sports on the rise, CTE is taking the sporting world by storm - for all the wrong reasons.
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE for short, is a degenerative brain disease caused by repeated blows to the head. The disease was originally discovered in 2002 by Dr. Bennett Owalu after examining the brain of recently diseased NFL linebacker Mike Webster. Upon examination, Dr. Owalu discovered a splotchy accumulation of tau protein across Webster’s cortex - a direct result of repeated brain trauma during Webster’s time in the NFL. Since Dr. Owalu’s discovery nearly 15 years ago, numerous athletes from all different sports have been found to have suffered from CTE. The list includes Hall of Fame football players such as Frank Gifford, Ken Stabler and Junior Seau. However, it doesn’t just stop at football. BMX biker Dave Mirra and WWE wrestler Chris Benoit also suffered from CTE. According to a study published in 2015 by the PBS’s Frontline, 96 percent of deceased NFL players suffered from the degenerative brain disease. Researchers with the Department of Veterans Affairs and Boston University examined the brains of 91 former NFL players and discovered a staggering 87 showing signs of CTE. While discussions about the effects of CTE continue to rise to the forefront of sports-related media, the leagues themselves have, until recently, shown little effort to help combat the disease. It wasn’t until 2009 that the NFL even acknowledged the potential longterm side effects of head trauma. Several within the league, including Houston Texans owner Bob McNair, still, to this day, deny the correlation between football and CTE. The NFL even went so far as to agree to an out-of-court settlement of $795 million just to avoid admitting liability for CTE’s staggering effects. While former athletes continue to face an uphill battle, public perception of the disease has begun to turn the tides. Will Smith’s 2015 blockbuster Concussion has helped spread the word to the masses of the effects of the deadly disease. With several lawsuits still on the table, the battle rages on.
CTE Stages
The Faces of CTE
Junior Seau NFL Linebacker Died 2015
Dave Mirra Professional BMX Rider Died 2016
(Credit: Concussion Legacy Foundation)
Stage I: Hot spots of tangled tau pop up in isolated areas of the cortex (black circle)
Stage II: Multiple hot spots of tangled tau appear in the cortical sulci, and tau begins to migrate.
Stage III: Tau hot spots begin to blend with one another. Tangles appear more diffusely throughout the ridges of the brain. Tau begins to collect in the hippocampus and amygdala.
Stages IV: Dense tau tangles cover the brain’s cortex and appear in most other regions, including the spinal cord
CTE Symptoms • Difficulty thinking • Impulsive behavior • Depression or apathy
Chris Benoit WWE Wrestler Died 2007
Dave Duerson NFL Safety Died 2011
• Short-term memory loss • Difficulty planning and carrying out tasks • Emotional instability • Substance abuse • Suicidal thoughts or behavior • Irratability • Aggression • Speech and language difficulties • Motor skill impairment (difficulty walking, tremors, loss of muscle movement, weakness or rigidity) • Trouble swallowing • Vision and focusing problems • Trouble with sense of smell • Dementia
Each of the four athletes featured above took their own lives after long careers in their respective sports. After examination of each of the mens’ brains, scientists believe CTE to be a direct cause of the suicidal thoughts that led up to their deaths. Perhaps the most tragic story belongs to professional wrestler, Chris Benoit. In 2007, Benoit murdered his wife and seven-year-old son before turning the gun on himself. After extensive research, many experts believe CTE to be a direct cause of Benoit’s eventual meltdown.
Step 4: More vigorous but non-contact training
Step 6: Return to full game play including contact.
Concussion Recovery Process Step 1: No activity: complete physical and mental rest from play, work or school.
Step 3: Sport-specific exercise but no head-impact sports.
Step 5: Full-contact practice: normal activities after medical clearance.
THE SILENT KILLER With concussion awareness in professional sports on the rise, CTE is taking the sporting world by storm - for all the wrong reasons.
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE for short, is a degenerative brain disease caused by repeated blows to the head. The disease was originally discovered in 2002 by Dr. Bennett Owalu after examining the brain of recently diseased NFL linebacker Mike Webster. Upon examination, Dr. Owalu discovered a splotchy accumulation of tau protein across Webster’s cortex - a direct result of repeated brain trauma during Webster’s time in the NFL. Since Dr. Owalu’s discovery nearly 15 years ago, numerous athletes from all different sports have been found to have suffered from CTE. The list includes Hall of Fame football players such as Frank Gifford, Ken Stabler and Junior Seau. However, it doesn’t just stop at football. BMX biker Dave Mirra and WWE wrestler Chris Benoit also suffered from CTE. According to a study published in 2015 by the PBS’s Frontline, 96 percent of deceased NFL players suffered from the degenerative brain disease. Researchers with the Department of Veterans Affairs and Boston University examined the brains of 91 former NFL players and discovered a staggering 87 showing signs of CTE. While discussions about the effects of CTE continue to rise to the forefront of sports-related media, the leagues themselves have, until recently, shown little effort to help combat the disease. It wasn’t until 2009 that the NFL even acknowledged the potential longterm side effects of head trauma. Several within the league, including Houston Texans owner Bob McNair, still, to this day, deny the correlation between football and CTE. The NFL even went so far as to agree to an out-of-court settlement of $795 million just to avoid admitting liability for CTE’s staggering effects. While former athletes continue to face an uphill battle, public perception of the disease has begun to turn the tides. Will Smith’s 2015 blockbuster Concussion has helped spread the word to the masses of the effects of the deadly disease. With several lawsuits still on the table, the battle rages on.
CTE Stages
The Faces of CTE
Junior Seau NFL Linebacker Died 2015
Dave Mirra Professional BMX Rider Died 2016
(Credit: Concussion Legacy Foundation)
Stage I: Hot spots of tangled tau pop up in isolated areas of the cortex (black circle)
Stage II: Multiple hot spots of tangled tau appear in the cortical sulci, and tau begins to migrate.
Stage III: Tau hot spots begin to blend with one another. Tangles appear more diffusely throughout the ridges of the brain. Tau begins to collect in the hippocampus and amygdala.
Stages IV: Dense tau tangles cover the brain’s cortex and appear in most other regions, including the spinal cord
CTE Symptoms • Difficulty thinking • Impulsive behavior • Depression or apathy
Chris Benoit WWE Wrestler Died 2007
Dave Duerson NFL Safety Died 2011
• Short-term memory loss • Difficulty planning and carrying out tasks • Emotional instability • Substance abuse • Suicidal thoughts or behavior • Irratability • Aggression • Speech and language difficulties • Motor skill impairment (difficulty walking, tremors, loss of muscle movement, weakness or rigidity) • Trouble swallowing • Vision and focusing problems • Trouble with sense of smell • Dementia
Each of the four athletes featured above took their own lives after long careers in their respective sports. After examination of each of the mens’ brains, scientists believe CTE to be a direct cause of the suicidal thoughts that led up to their deaths. Perhaps the most tragic story belongs to professional wrestler, Chris Benoit. In 2007, Benoit murdered his wife and seven-year-old son before turning the gun on himself. After extensive research, many experts believe CTE to be a direct cause of Benoit’s eventual meltdown.
