CTE Spotted in Former NFL Players; Athletes Get a Brighter Future

Concussion-related brain disease, also known as CTE, has plagued the National Football League for years now. The disease, which brings on dementia, depression, and personality changes, has been found in 34 former NFL players after their deaths. Now, athletes may be getting some help. Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles have figured out how to use a brain-imaging tool to identify CTE before it becomes too serious.

The preliminary findings, which were reported in the online issue of the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, showed that the detection of tau proteins could reveal the early onset of CTE. The abnormal build-up of tau proteins is a key marker of CTE, but previously scientists were only able to detect them via an autopsy. This would leave living patients in a situation where they might not get the help they need.

The researchers recruited five retired NFL players who were 45 or older for their study. These players had a history of one or more concussions, and were beginning to show cognitive or mood problems. The researchers injected the athletes with a newly created dye containing a radioisotope, called FDDNP, which binds to deposits of amyloid beta "plaques" and tau "tangles." They then scanned the players' brains with a PET scanner. The general idea was that the more tau plaques the men had in their brains, the more the dye would bind to it, and the more it would show up on the scanner.

Their findings showed just that. The researchers scanned healthy men to compare, and found that the athletes who had formerly had concussions had higher FDDNP levels. This new way of detecting CET could have major implications for the treatment of athletes in the future.

Currently, more than 4,000 former NFL players are suing the league in a U.S. federal court. They allege the NFL knowing failed to protect players for decades from the long-term effects of concussions.