brain, spinal cord, and nerve disorders
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)
Introduction
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is a progressive degeneration of brain cells caused by several head injuries, typically in athletes but also in soldiers who have been exposed to an explosion. (See also Overview of Delirium and Dementia and Dementia pugilistica, identified in boxers in the 1920s, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a more recent term, are thought to be the same disorder. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy develops in some retired professional and college athletes who play American football and other athletes who have had repetitive head injuries (such as Concussion ). It also develops in some soldiers who have had a head injury due to an explosion (blast injury) during combat. Experts do not yet know why only certain people who have repeated Overview of Head Injuries develop chronic traumatic encephalopathy nor how many injuries and how much force are required to cause this disorder. About 3% of athletes who have had several (even apparently minor) concussions develop chronic traumatic encephalopathy. 