Free Article: Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy in American Athletes

Background: We define chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) as a progressive neurodegenerative syndrome caused by single, episodic, or repetitive blunt force impacts to the head and transfer of acceleration-deceleration forces to the brain.

Objective: We present emerging histomorphologic phenotypes of CTE that we identified in our cohort of CTE cases with apolipoprotein E genotyping and causes and manners of death.

Methods: Autopsy brain tissue of 14 professional athletes and 3 high school football players was examined after unexpected deaths. Histochemical and immunohistochemical tissue staining was performed with apolipoprotein E genotyping.

WNC Firm Works to Make Football Helmets Safer

The Ashville Citizen-Times reports on a small, 41-year-old foam company in Madison County making a product that could significantly cut down the number of head injuries in football.

Head injuries associated with football have been in the news in recent months after studies showed NFL players who suffered concussions have had problems with cognitive function.