Is it time to take CTE more seriously?

[Dantheman]

Probably a fair amount of selection/sample bias. Most people who lose a family member via natural or pretty easily explained causes aren't donating their brain for a CTE analysis. It's mostly folks whose kid/spouse/etc acted batshit crazy before checking out are donating to the research. But there is ample evidence to link that condition detected to the erratic behavior prior to their demise. We just can't say that 90%+ of ALL athletes get CTE based on that sample.

Even with the huge selection bias 99% prevalence is astounding. There's also a clear relationship between years played and both prevalence and severity. The high prevalence of overt symptoms in participants with mild pathology is also highly concerning:

"Among 27 participants with mild CTE pathology, 26 (96%) had behavioral or mood symptoms or both, 23 (85%) had cognitive symptoms, and 9 (33%) had signs of dementia."

The sample sizes for non-pro players and players with mild CTE pathology are small and may not be representative. But, in keeping with the "take it more seriously" theme, that means we should probably be checking for CTE as a standard part of death investigations so we can determine the overall prevalence in the population.

[XXX-er]

https://www.thesportster.com/entertainment/top-20-notorious-cases-of-cte-head-injury/

so its really easy to google the top 20 case of CTE, google CTE and there are a ton of hits

pun intended

[SumJongGuy]

But, in keeping with the "take it more seriously" theme, that means we should probably be checking for CTE as a standard part of death investigations so we can determine the overall prevalence in the population.

Putting on core shot hat.. I've always wondered if that "accidental" power failure at the Harvard lab where all the brains for CTE research were stored a few years ago was truly "accidental"? There's lots and LOTS of money to be lost if public opinion about pro football (and soccer and basketball and hockey) and sports entertainment sours and decides to cancel the whole industry.

Call me naïve, but I can't believe that nobody can devise some kind of test or scan to better diagnose CTE pre mortem. The impact of that kind of testing ability could be massively disruptive to those industries..

[XXX-er]

Are yo OK ? how many fingers do you see, whats your name ?

[Toadman]

It all sounds like one big headache to me, but what do I know. I'm not a doctor, and don't even attempt to pretend to be a dentist on the internet either.

[dunfree]

I might have had a small one many years ago, I have never been pro any sport, how many have you had ?

concussions? Multiple. At least one from skiing. I’ve done a lot of dumb shit and getting people not to do dumb shit seems a progress of humanity thing to me. Some privileged pensioned tosspot saying “that’s just the way of the world” deserves a hard kick in the virtual gonads.

[XXX-er]

Yeah i could tell

[abraham]

XXXer may have forgotten a few concussions in the toulene haze.

[dunfree]

Yeah i could tell

but they are no big deal, right asshole? What, two posts for you to own yourself?

[ötzi]

I've had a few. Only one from skiing that I remember. I played HS football for a really good team, we only lost 1 game in my 3 years one the V (and that one was by one point, on a missed PAT, in a torrential downpour). Definitely got a few out of that experience.

Somebody up there ^^ talked about the increasing spread of football to younger ages. Maybe they're playing, but increasingly, contact is limited or forbidden in the younger groups, and that's very obviously a good thing. And just maybe, if the trend continues, we'll find out that Texans are actually smart.

Nah.

[XXX-er]

Concussions actualy are a big deal and it is time to take CTE more seriously changes to rules have helped but people keep getting concussions

foot ball is still huge, hockey still huge, and now we can watch people beat each other senseless in MMA

can you quantify how many concussions in a contact game is it something any body in the game really wants to talk about ?

obviously you have the CTE issues concussions/ anger issues

thots and prayers

[highangle]

Even with the huge selection bias 99% prevalence is astounding. There's also a clear relationship between years played and both prevalence and severity. The high prevalence of overt symptoms in participants with mild pathology is also highly concerning:

"Among 27 participants with mild CTE pathology, 26 (96%) had behavioral or mood symptoms or both, 23 (85%) had cognitive symptoms, and 9 (33%) had signs of dementia."

The sample sizes for non-pro players and players with mild CTE pathology are small and may not be representative. But, in keeping with the "take it more seriously" theme, that means we should probably be checking for CTE as a standard part of death investigations so we can determine the overall prevalence in the population.

What we "need to" do as a first step is come up with a non-intrusive test for CTE among the living population. And since 90% of tomography and resonance imagery is post-processing...Imma shoot from the hip and say there may one day be a way to see one or more of its biomarkers with advances in software.

[ötzi]

That's way, way more cogent than your thoughts on HVAC systems. Kudos.

[highangle]

That's way, way more cogent than your thoughts on HVAC systems. Kudos.

One of these days you see a house on a monolithic slab, and you'll be like, "How can they have hvac without a basement and return air ducts? It makes no sense!!"

[Woodsy]

Even with the huge selection bias 99% prevalence is astounding. There's also a clear relationship between years played and both prevalence and severity. The high prevalence of overt symptoms in participants with mild pathology is also highly concerning:

"Among 27 participants with mild CTE pathology, 26 (96%) had behavioral or mood symptoms or both, 23 (85%) had cognitive symptoms, and 9 (33%) had signs of dementia."

The sample sizes for non-pro players and players with mild CTE pathology are small and may not be representative. But, in keeping with the "take it more seriously" theme, that means we should probably be checking for CTE as a standard part of death investigations so we can determine the overall prevalence in the population.

Had a conversation in a bar last night with a woman about our kids playing football ofvthe American kind.
I said absolutely not for lil woodsy.
She went on about this and that.
I replied " i played line from 10 to 18 and every day I banged my head, repeatedly, against the guy across from me
5, 6 days a week every fall for 8 years. It isnt good for you"
She changed the subject.