An autopsy examination has determined that football star Junior Seau had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), the National Institutes of Health announced today. CTE has been linked to repetitive concussions suffered by boxers, football players, and other professional athletes.
Five neuropathologists all found that microscopic examination of Seau's brain revealed "multifocal tauopathy consistent with a diagnosis of chronic traumatic encephalopathy," the NIH explained.
Seau died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in May 2012; he'd racked up some 1,850 tackles over 2 decades as a linebacker in the National Football League. His family donated his brain to the NIH for study.
In a blinded examination of three brains, the neuropathologists identified tissue samples from Seau's brain as containing abnormal clusters of the protein tau, which folds into tangles in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease and other brain diseases. The location of the abnormal tau clusters is distinct in CTE.
The pathology report states: "There are clusters of tau immunoreactive neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) and neuropil threads in the neocortex, as well as occasional tangles in the subcortical gray matter and brainstem. The superficial location of the NFTs, the perivascular foci, and the tendency for cortical lesions to be at the depths of sulci are consistent with a diagnosis of chronic traumatic encephalopathy."
The consequences of repetitive brain injury were initially noted in boxers, who developed "dementia pugilistica," and emerged as a concern for football players after the suicide of Dave Duerson in 2011.
Duerson had experienced severe depression and personality changes that he attributed to multiple concussions he had experienced during his years on the gridiron, and asked that his brain be examined for signs of chronic injury.
This was done at the Boston University Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy, where a brain bank has now been established and contains specimens from at least 60 other athletes.
In many cases, family members and friends had noticed behavioral and cognitive changes in the former players.
More than 4,000 members of the National Football League have filed a lawsuit claiming that the league misled the players and public about the dangers of repetitive concussion.
Today's statement from the NIH acknowledges that research into CTE is in early stages, noting that currently the condition can be diagnosed only after death. In addition, much remains to be learned about why certain individuals appear susceptible to these types of injury.
Similar symptoms also have been reported in increasing numbers among members of the U.S. military exposed to concussive events during deployment.
NIH investigators are conducting further research into the pathologic processes resulting from repetitive brain injury, examining tissue samples with high resolution MRI scans.
This week also saw the publication of a neuroimaging study of 26 former football players, which showed pronounced lesions in the white matter and changes in cerebral blood flow.
"Only research will reveal answers to the vexing problems that this condition presents," the NIH statement concluded.
Nancy Walsh
Staff Writer
Nancy Walsh has written for various medical publications in the United States and England, including Patient Care, The Practitioner, and the Journal of Respiratory Diseases. She also has contributed numerous essays to several books on history and culture, most recently to The Book of Firsts (Anchor Books, 2010).
No comments:
Post a Comment