What is Chronic traumatic encephalopathy?
[[File:Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy.png|thumb|right|230px|Comparison between a normal brain (left) and a brain with advanced CTE (right)]] '''Chronic traumatic encephalopathy''' ('''CTE'''), formerly known as '''dementia pugilistica''', is a [[Neurodegeneration|neurodegenerative disease]] found in people who have had multiple [[head injuries]].<ref name=JAMA2017>{{cite journal|last1=Asken|first1=BM|last2=Sullan|first2=MJ|last3=DeKosky|first3=ST|last4=Jaffee|first4=MS|last5=Bauer|first5=RM|title=Research Gaps and Controversies in Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy: A Review.|journal=JAMA Neurology|date=1 October 2017|volume=74|issue=10|pages=1255–1262|doi=10.1001/jamaneurol.2017.2396|pmid=28975240|s2cid=24317634}}</ref> These injuries can be from contact sports such as [[American football]] or [[boxing]], as well as from [[military service]], [[domestic violence]] and other causes. Symptoms may include behavioral problems, [[mood problem]]s, and problems with thinking. It can also cause problems with balance, moving and speaking. This typically does not begin until years after the injuries. It often gets worse over time and can result in [[dementia]].<ref name=Ste2014>{{cite journal|last1=Stein|first1=TD|last2=Alvarez|first2=VE|last3=McKee|first3=AC|title=Chronic traumatic encephalopathy: a spectrum of neuropathological changes following repetitive brain trauma in athletes and military personnel.|journal=Alzheimer's Research & Therapy|date=2014|volume=6|issue=1|pages=4|doi=10.1186/alzrt234|doi-access=free |pmid=24423082|pmc=3979082}}</ref> It is unclear if the risk of [[suicide]] is increased. Doctors can only tell for sure if somebody has CTE by looking at their brain after they die. ==References== {{reflist}} [[Category:Diseases and disorders of the nervous system]] {{medicine-stub}}