Repeated head impacts cause early neuron loss, inflammation in young athletes: study
Repeated head impacts from contact sports can trigger early and lasting changes in the brains of young to middle-aged athletes, potentially years before the onset of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), according to new research supported by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), Xinhua reports.
The study suggests these brain changes may occur years before the hallmark features of CTE, which can currently only be confirmed through postmortem brain tissue examination, the NIH said in a release on Wednesday.
Scientists at the Boston University CTE Center, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System and collaborating institutions analyzed postmortem brain tissue from athletes under age 51, most of whom had played American football.
Using advanced tools to track gene activity and produce high-resolution images of individual cells, the team identified a wide range of brain changes beyond the well-known molecular signature of CTE: the abnormal buildup of a protein called tau in nerve cells located near small blood vessels deep within the brain's folds.
"This study underscores that many changes in the brain can occur after repetitive head impacts," said Walter Koroshetz, director of NIH's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. "These early brain changes might help diagnose and treat CTE earlier than is currently possible now."
The NIH noted that by revealing the earliest cellular warning signs, the research paves the way for developing new methods to detect the effects of repetitive head injuries and could ultimately lead to interventions to prevent the devastating neurodegeneration caused by CTE.
It was earlier reported how the brain makes choices as an international team of neuroscientists has unveiled the most detailed map of brain activity during decision-making.
