It is most commonly found in professional athletes that participate in American football, ice hockey, professional wrestling, boxing, soccer and other heavy contact sports. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is associated with numerous changes in the brain, including a buildup of an abnormal protein called tau. This protein builds up in places in the brain where it is not supposed to be and collects in clusters in and around the brain, causing disruptions in the brain's normal functioning process. "The symptoms of CTE generally do not present until years or decades the symptoms can last for months or, in severe cases, even years" (Boston University). Chronic traumatic encephalopathy has numerous amounts of symptoms, which include memory damage, bewilderment, compromised judgment, difficulty controlling impulsive activities, belligerence, hopelessness, nervousness, suicidal thoughts or efforts, parkinsonism, plus ultimately, gradual dementia. Just because you have some or even all the symptoms of chronic traumatic encephalopathy that does not mean you actually have it. There are a multitude of causes as of why you may have these symptoms. So in the event that you may think you could possibly have chronic traumatic encephalopathy going to your own doctor and having test done are the best recommendations given.
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy has the ability to only be "diagnosed through post-mortem examination" or after death during an autopsy (Sports Legacy), but according to Boston University the CTE center, who is the spearhead for the purpose of conducting research on chronic traumatic encephalopathy, "is actively conducting research" on ways to diagnose the disease on the living (Boston University). So there is no known way to use MRI, CT scans, or other brain imaging methods to diagnose chronic traumatic encephalopathy on a living person. Due to the fact that there is no way to diagnose chronic traumatic encephalopathy on the living, there is no medicinal way to help treat it, however you yourself have the ability to actually help prevent chronic traumatic encephalopathy from ever happening.
