Subscribe
The latest psychology and neuroscience discoveries.
My Account
  • Mental Health
  • Social Psychology
  • Cognitive Science
  • Psychopharmacology
No Result
View All Result
PsyPost
PsyPost
No Result
View All Result
Home Uncategorized

Do sports concussions really cause chronic traumatic encephalopathy?

by Loyola University Health System
December 3, 2013
in Uncategorized

[Subscribe to PsyPost on YouTube to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in psychology and neuroscience]

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Football helmetIt’s been widely reported that football and other contact sports increase the risk of a debilitating neurological condition called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

But in the journal Neuropsychology Review, researchers are reporting only limited evidence showing a link between sports concussions and an increased risk of late-life cognitive and neuropsychiatric impairments.

Loyola University Medical Center clinical neuropsychologist Christopher Randolph, PhD, is a co-author of the paper. First author is Stella Karantzoulis, PhD, of New York University School of Medicine.

CTE is believed to be the cause of behavioral symptoms including irritability, anger, aggression, depression and suicidality; and cognitive symptoms including impaired learning, memory, language, information-processing speed and executive functioning. CTE is said to be linked to concussions and characterized by the buildup of abnormal substances in the brain called tau proteins.

But so far there is only limited evidence to support this CTE theory, Karantzoulis and Randolph write. These are among the limitations of the evidence:

  • So far CTE cases have been reported following the autopsies of athletes’ brains that were donated from families concerned about the players’ cognitive and behavioral symptoms before dying. But such non-random “samples of convenience” can bias findings because the samples may not be representative of the entire population of retired players.
  • The largest epidemiological study of retired NFL athletes, which included 3,439 players, found that suicide rates were actually substantially lower among these athletes than among the general population. “Given that suicidality is described as a key feature of CTE, this finding is difficult to reconcile with the high rates of CTE that have been speculated to occur in these retired athletes . . . ,” Karantzoulis and Randolph write. “It is likely that there are a diverse set of risk factors for suicidality (e.g. life stress, financial difficulty, depression, chronic pain, drug abuse) in retired athletes . . .”
  • Two previous studies, including one by Randolph and colleagues, examined symptoms of retired NFL players who had mild cognitive impairment, a precursor to Alzheimer’s disease. In both studies, symptoms seen in the retired players were virtually the same as those observed in non-athletes diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment. These findings cast doubt on the notion that CTE is a novel condition unique to athletes who have experienced concussions.
  • The presence of abnormal tau proteins in the brain may not be a reliable indicator of CTE. For example, various case studies have found that between 20 percent and 50 percent of subjects who had abnormal tau deposits nevertheless did not have any symptoms. “Older persons without dementia can accumulate Alzheimer’s disease pathology (including tau deposition) without any associated cognitive or clinical symptoms,” Karantzoulis and Randolph write. “The actual clinical significance of ‘abnormal’ tau deposition in the brains of retired athletes therefore remains unclear.”

The authors detail how CTE originally was identified in 1928 as “punch drunk” syndrome in boxers. There is a striking parallel between the controversy over CTE today and punch drunk syndrome decades ago. In 1965, for example, a skeptic argued that punch drunk syndrome symptoms seen in boxers could have been due to alcoholism and venereal diseases, which were common in boxers at the time.

“One cannot deny that boxing and other contact sports can potentially result in some type of injury to the brain,” Karantzoulis and Randolph write. “There currently are no carefully controlled data, however, to indicate a definitive association between sport-related concussion and increased risk for late-life cognitive and neuropsychiatric impairment of any form.”

The authors say more rigorous and definitive studies are needed than the case reports and samples of convenience that have been done to date.

The study is titled “Modern Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy in Retired Athletes: What is the Evidence?”

Randolph is a professor in the Department of Neurology of Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.

The Loyola University Chicago Health Sciences Division (HSD) advances interprofessional, multidisciplinary, and transformative education and research while promoting service to others through stewardship of scientific knowledge and preparation of tomorrow’s leaders. The HSD is located on the Health Sciences Campus in Maywood, Illinois. It includes the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, the Stritch School of Medicine, the biomedical research programs of the Graduate School, and several other institutes and centers encouraging new research and interprofessional education opportunities across all of Loyola University Chicago. The faculty and staff of the HSD bring a wealth of knowledge, experience, and a strong commitment to seeing that Loyola’s health sciences continue to excel and exceed the standard for academic and research excellence. For more on the HSD, visit LUC.edu/hsd.

ShareTweetSendScanShareSharePinSend

NEWSLETTER SIGN-UP

STAY CONNECTED

TRENDING

One in four people may experience estrangement from a sibling in adulthood, study finds

Buzzing the brain with electricity can boost the willingness to engage in mental effort

Study links deviations in circadian rhythm patterns to psychiatric problems in adolescents

Study finds that poor sleep quality increases aggression, possibly by affecting emotional cognition

Virtual reality can inoculate people against the allure of alternative romantic partners, study finds

A history of intermittent fasting is associated with increased disordered eating behaviors

RECENT

Many self-identified heterosexuals report feeling attracted toward individuals of the same sex, study finds

Two “dark” personality traits help explain the link between childhood adversity and suicide risk

People are more inclined to get COVID-19 booster after reading tweets that target regret, study finds

Study links deviations in circadian rhythm patterns to psychiatric problems in adolescents

False confidence: Watching a simple video increases people’s belief in their own ability to land a plane

A history of intermittent fasting is associated with increased disordered eating behaviors

Psychologists developed a new measure of sexual anxiety sensitivity. It predicts some important sex-related outcomes.

Virtual reality can inoculate people against the allure of alternative romantic partners, study finds

Currently Playing

Individuals with dark personality traits are less oriented towards long-term mating strategies

Disclosing victim status reduces online dating matches regardless of race or sex

Individuals with dark personality traits are less oriented towards long-term mating strategies

Dark Triad
Longitudinal study examines the effects of adversity on wise reasoning

New study examines the psychological mechanisms underlying Solomon’s paradox

Social Psychology
Engaging in religious practice, even if you don’t believe, may increase your capacity to delay gratification

Engaging in religious practice, even if you don’t believe, may increase your capacity to delay gratification

Cognitive Science
New study sheds light on how three distinct types of first impressions predict subsequent dating outcomes

New study sheds light on how three distinct types of first impressions predict subsequent dating outcomes

Relationships and Sexual Health
A single, moderate dose of psilocybin reduces depressive symptoms for at least two weeks, controlled study finds

A single, moderate dose of psilocybin reduces depressive symptoms for at least two weeks, controlled study finds

Depression
Study identifies factors that influence the link between men’s body esteem and their ability to enjoy their sexuality

Study identifies factors that influence the link between men’s body esteem and their ability to enjoy their sexuality

Mental Health
  • Cognitive Science
  • COVID-19
  • Mental Health
  • Social Psychology
  • Drug Research
  • Conspiracy Theories
  • Meditation
  • Psychology of Religion
  • Aviation Psychology and Human Factors
  • Relationships and Sexual Health
  • Evolutionary Psychology
  • Neuroimaging
  • Psychedelic Drugs
  • Dark Triad
  • Political Psychology

About

PsyPost is a psychology and neuroscience news website dedicated to reporting the latest research on human behavior, cognition, and society. (READ MORE...)

  • Contact us
  • Privacy policy

Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Cognitive Science Research
  • Mental Health Research
  • Social Psychology Research
  • About PsyPost
    • Contact us
  • Privacy policy

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used.