What is CTE?

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a progressive degenerative disease of the brain found in people with a history of repeated brain trauma.

The constant brain trauma triggers progressive degeneration of the brain tissue, including the build-up of an abnormal protein called tau.

These changes in the brain can begin months, years, or even decades after the last brain trauma.

How do you get CTE?

CTE includes both concussions that cause symptoms and subconcussive hits to the head that cause no symptoms.

CTE has been known to affect athletes in sports such as Football and Boxing.

At this time, the number or type of hits to the head needed to trigger degenerative changes to the brain is unknown.

Other factors such as genetics, may play a role in the development of CTE, because people without a history of repeated brain trauma can develop this disease.

What are the symptoms of CTE?

The symptoms of CTE include memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, impulse control problems, aggression, depression, anxiety, suicidality, parkinsonism, and, eventually, progressive dementia.

These symptoms often begin years or decades after the last brain trauma.

How is CTE diagnosed?

Currently, CTE can only be diagnosed after death.

Researchers are working on finding biomarkers and other indicators to help detect it in the living, with further hope that such findings can help lead to potential treatments and a better understanding of CTE.

It is not clear how frequently people experience CTE related issues, but the risk of CTE is worrisome enough that it is important to focus on ways to reduce total overall exposure to repeated hits, such as limiting head-to-head contact.

Can CTE be cured? What can I do if I think I have CTE?

Unfortunately, there is no cure for CTE at this time.

Some of the symptoms of CTE like depression and anxiety, can be treated individually.

CTE develops early, soon after an injury, and it’s progressive.

If you believe you or a loved one may have CTE or other brain related injuries, please contact us.

The Pathways team of professionals has helped thousands of people with CTE and other brain related injuries. We are Dedicated to effective and compassionate care for individuals with neurological challenges.

Almost two million Americans each year suffer from a traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBI’s occur as a result of physical trauma to the brain. The most common symptoms include headaches, memory loss, depression, and/or personality changes. Upon violent impact to the head, a chemical called glutamate accumulates in the brain. High concentrations of glutamate are lethal to brain cells even though the chemical is responsible for learning and memory under normal conditions. Recently, scientists at Rutgers University asked the question: “can we slow the progress of TBIs by targeting glutamate?”

The study was led by Dr. Bonnie Firestein in the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience. The approach is clever and transformative, as most previous efforts to tackle TBI mainly focus on alleviating symptoms instead of preventing progression of the injury itself. The researchers found that combining lithium and rapamycin together, nerve cells stop sending glutamate signals to other cells. This prevents cells for dying off. Lithium is already used to treat depression and bipolar disorder, while rapamycin is typically used against cancer. Most of the work was done in pitri dishes with cultured nerve cells and animal-based trials are currently underway. This may be a very important breakthrough that might especially benefit children. Young patients with concussions may benefit greatly from such a medication by preventing long term effects of cell death in the developing brain.

Przemyslaw Swiatkowski, Ina Nikolaeva, Gaurav Kumar, Avery Zucco, Barbara F. Akum, Mihir V. Patel, Gabriella D’Arcangelo, Bonnie L. Firestein. Role of Akt-independent mTORC1 and GSK3β signaling in sublethal NMDA-induced injury and the recovery of neuronal electrophysiology and survival. Scientific Reports, 2017; 7 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-01826-ws

The Pathways team of professionals has helped thousands of people with brain injuries. We are Dedicated to effective and compassionate care for individuals with neurological challenges.

The dreaded “C-word” is thrown around in everyday life, most notably in sports. However, many can be left unsure if they have a concussion, or mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Often, there are often no physical signs during a concussion. The most important thing to understand about a concussion is that it is a brain injury and, as a consequence, must be caused by direct or indirect impact on the brain. Brain injury caused by factors other than impact, such as an infection or blood supply to brain, are not concussions.

Well, then how do you know if you have a concussion? All concussions involve a traumatic impact to the head accompanied  by either loss of consciousness (LOC), alteration of consciousness,post traumatic amnesia or focal neurological signs. These are telltale signs that you should be concerned about the prospect of a concussion. However, an important rule of thumb is to seriously consider the possibility of a concussion anytime impact to the head is involved. As stated previously, a concussion is caused by physical injury to the brain. Note that impact can caused by collision between the brain and the skull, which is possible during periods of rapid acceleration changes (such as car accidents). When evaluating for signs of concussion, keep in mind that not all concussions are the same. Therefore, a two people with concussions may experience completely different symptoms. Moreover, the length, onset, and severity of symptoms is rarely, if ever, the same. Since some of the symptoms of a concussion can present weeks after the initial impact, it is important to continue to monitor symptoms beyond the immediate aftermath of an injury.

Often, children and adults will complain about “not feeling themselves.” The following are additional common symptoms of a concussion:

*Persistent headaches

*Difficulty or slowness in remembering, concentrating, making decisions, thinking, speaking, acting, or reading

*Confusion

*Low energy

*Fluctuations in mood

*Disrupted sleep patterns

*Light-headedness, dizziness, or loss of balance

*Nausea

*Sensitivity to lights, sounds, or distractions

*Compromised vision, smell, or taste

*Ringing in the ears

If you or loved one are suspicious of having a concussion, make an appointment for professional evaluation right away. This will help avoid further damage. For employees and athletes, professional guidance is crucial to “return to the field.”

The Pathways team of professionals has helped thousands of people with brain injuries. We are Dedicated to effective and compassionate care for individuals with neurological challenges.