The spectrum of disease in chronic traumatic encephalopathy

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is a progressive tauopathy that occurs as a consequence of repetitive mild traumatic brain injury. We analysed post-mortem brains obtained from a cohort of 85 subjects with histories of repetitive mild traumatic brain injury and found evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy in 68 subjects: all males, ranging in age from 17 to 98 years (mean 59.5 years), including 64 athletes, 21 military veterans (86% of whom were also athletes) and one individual who engaged in self-injurious head banging behaviour. Eighteen age- and gender-matched individuals without a history of repetitive mild traumatic brain injury served as control subjects. In chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the…

• UD
  U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

  Awards: B6796-C, AG13846, P30 AG13846, CSP 501
• NO
  National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment
• TB
  Traumatic Brain Injury Center of Excellence
• NI
  National Institute of Child Health and Human Development