CTE in sports
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All the lights are shining on you as millions of people are watching your every move, both on and off the field. There is the constant pressure of knowing that as soon as you do something wrong, your so-called fans can turn against you. What if your mentality starts changing without anyone knowing why or how? What if people only knew what was truly going on mentally with you after you passed away? This terrifying mental illness that torments professional athletes all over the world is called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy is a brain disease that is found in many athletes and military veterans. CTE can be found in anybody who has had a history of repeated brain trauma. CTE causes damage to the brain by spreading a protein (TAU), which clumps up throughout the brain and kills the brain cells of the affected person. The symptoms of CTE begin as early as the patient’s early 20’s. Their mood and behavior begin to change, and they experience mood swings that can vary from aggression, depression, and paranoia. As the disease progresses, the patient now may experience problems with thinking and memory, including memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, and progressive dementia.
Athletes are at most risk to suffering from CTE because of the pressure to go out and perform at their highest level every single day. This causes them to tackle their opponent hard to the floor or land a knockdown punch every fight. Because of these repeated blows to the head, athletes have to deal with concussions and in some cases CTE. A recent study shows that 96% of NFL players who have died and participated in research had some level of CTE. In response to all the danger and damage that football puts on the minds of its players, the NFL donated $30 million to the National Institutes of Health to support brain research that is focused on researching CTE.
Although CTE had been known about for 90 years there is still no known cure for this very harmful mental disease. There is no known cure because it can only be identified in patients until after they have passed away. The only treatments for potential patients of CTE are targeted therapies for symptoms such as mood swings. However, CTE is gaining more exposure due to players coming out and publicly saying they have CTE and how they are dealing with it.
