Distinct Brain Features in Football Players May Predict Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Risk

Strategic Insights -

Football players show subtle differences in brain scans that may indicate a higher risk of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative disease caused by repeated head trauma. Researchers at NYU Langone Health discovered these differences in a study published in the journal Brain Communications. The findings could potentially lead to early detection and prevention of CTE, which currently has no cure and is diagnosed post-mortem through autopsies.

Key Takeaways:

  • Football players have shallower left superior frontal sulci on average than non-football players, which may be a biomarker for CTE risk.
  • The study included an analysis of 169 former college and professional football players, with an average age of 43 and 12 years of playing experience.
  • Researchers found that football players with increasing years of playing experience had wider left occipitotemporal sulci.
  • The study compared brain scans from football players to those from 54 non-contact sport players, with similar age, weight, and education profiles.
  • The researchers caution that a clinical diagnostic test for CTE is still years away, but these findings could lead to a comprehensive CTE risk assessment.
  • The study teams plan to expand investigations to include more contact and collision sports and to test for differences in other parts of the brain to identify people most at risk of developing CTE.
  • The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Alzheimer's Association, and other organizations.

Statistics:

  • 169 former college and professional football players participated in the study.
  • 54 non-contact sport players were included in the control group.
  • The average age of the football players was 43.
  • The average number of years of playing experience for the football players was 12.
  • The study compared brain scans from football players to those from non-contact sport players based on age, weight, and education profiles.
  • The left superior frontal sulci were found to be shallower in football players on average than in non-football players.

Sources:

  • NYU Langone Health news release, "Distinct Brain Features in Football Players May Tell Who Is at Risk of Long-Term Traumatic Disease" (link is external).
  • Brain Communications, "Distinct brain features in American football players may predict chronic traumatic encephalopathy" (link is external), published September 11 (source link).
  • National Institute of Health, "U01NS093334", R01NS100952, K00NS1134919, R21NS140565, and L32MD016519.
  • Alzheimer's Association, "25AARG-NTF-1377286".
  • Study authors' affiliations and contributions listed in the original text.