Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy

The brain of former National Hockey League player Derek Boogaard showed signs of early chronic traumatic encephalopathy, researchers report, shedding light on the neurological condition that may affect some athletes who sustain brain injuries during play. Boogaard died at age 28 from a drug overdose in May, and his brain was autopsied by Dr. Ann McKee, a neuropathologist at the Bedford VA Medical Center and co-director of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy at Boston University.

Doctors have discovered a way for professional football players to see how much damage their brains have suffered through a bruising career before it's too late, according to a new study. UCLA researchers led a team of scientists that used a chemical marker called FDDNP to measure the degree of brain damage in five retired football players. That marker latches onto the tau proteins that build up in the brain when someone suffers from Alzheimer's or other cognitive impairments like chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

Flashy Rick Martin was never going to be confused with an enforcer, achieving acclaim as a vaunted goal-scorer, not a fighter, in his glory days with the Buffalo Sabres. But Martin, who died in March of a heart attack at age 59, was revealed to have had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated brain trauma, according to Boston University researchers in a report issued Wednesday. The other two former NHL players diagnosed with CTE, post-mortem, were known for their formidable fighting abilities, Bob Probert and Reggie Fleming . Martin was said to have stage two of the disease — stage four being the most severe.

Junior Seau, among the greatest linebackers in NFL history, suffered from degenerative brain disease when he fatally shot himself in May, the National Institutes of Health said in a study released Thursday, another blow to a league whose former players say they were never warned about the dangers of head injuries. More than 2,000 former players are suing the NFL, contending the league never properly addressed the problems with head injuries and in many cases withheld information about the long-term effects associated with them.

Junior Seau, among the greatest linebackers in NFL history, suffered from degenerative brain disease when he fatally shot himself in May, the National Institutes of Health said in a study released Thursday, another blow to a league whose former players say they were never warned about the dangers of head injuries. More than 2,000 former players are suing the NFL, contending the league never properly addressed the problems with head injuries and in many cases withheld information about the long-term effects associated with them.

Doctors have discovered a way for professional football players to see how much damage their brains have suffered through a bruising career before it's too late, according to a new study. UCLA researchers led a team of scientists that used a chemical marker called FDDNP to measure the degree of brain damage in five retired football players. That marker latches onto the tau proteins that build up in the brain when someone suffers from Alzheimer's or other cognitive impairments like chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

A new study of brains donated after death details the degenerative brain disease that afflicted 68 of 85 subjects who suffered multiple concussions during stints in the military or in organized sports. Among the deceased athletes whose brains were examined for the study were NFL Hall of Famers John Mackey, a tight end, and running back Ollie Matson, both of whom died in 2011 of dementia complications. Among those diagnosed post-mortem as suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, 26% were considered suicidal at some point in their lives, and at least seven ultimately took their own lives, the study found.

Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chris Henry suffered from a chronic brain injury that may have influenced his mental state and behavior before he died last winter, West Virginia University researchers said Monday. The doctors had done a microscopic tissue analysis of Henry's brain that showed he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Neurosurgeon Julian Bailes and California medical examiner Bennet Omalu , co-directors of the Brain Injury Research Institute at West Virginia, announced their findings alongside Henry's mother, Carolyn Henry Glaspy , who called it a "big shock" because she knew nothing about her 26-year-old son's underlying condition or the disease.

Former NFL star Junior Seau's death by apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound follows a pattern of suicides by other high-profile football players who suffered from long-term effects of repeated brain injury. That list of players includes Andre Waters of the Philadelphia Eagles and Terry Long of the Pittsburgh Steelers. And just last year, former Chicago Bears player Dave Duerson shot himself in the chest, but not before requesting that his brain be donated to science so that researchers could study the long-term effects caused by concussion and other repeated brain injuries.

Here's a mystery that parents, professional sports team owners and the nation's top uniformed generals would all like to see solved: given a series of blows to the head, who is most likely to go on to suffer personality changes, depression, memory and concentration problems later in life? Ideally, they'd want to know this early - perhaps before mom or dad signs junior up for tackle football or the Marines dispatch a newly minted jarhead to Afghanistan to face a plague of roadside bombs.

A new study of brains donated after death details the degenerative brain disease that afflicted 68 of 85 subjects who suffered multiple concussions during stints in the military or in organized sports. Among the deceased athletes whose brains were examined for the study were NFL Hall of Famers John Mackey, a tight end, and running back Ollie Matson, both of whom died in 2011 of dementia complications. Among those diagnosed post-mortem as suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, 26% were considered suicidal at some point in their lives, and at least seven ultimately took their own lives, the study found.

Former NFL star Junior Seau's death by apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound follows a pattern of suicides by other high-profile football players who suffered from long-term effects of repeated brain injury. That list of players includes Andre Waters of the Philadelphia Eagles and Terry Long of the Pittsburgh Steelers. And just last year, former Chicago Bears player Dave Duerson shot himself in the chest, but not before requesting that his brain be donated to science so that researchers could study the long-term effects caused by concussion and other repeated brain injuries.

From Indianapolis -- The rooms were separated by 40 steps. It could have been 40 miles. It might, one day, be 40 lifetimes. In a hotel ballroom here Friday, in his annual Super Bowl address, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell spoke glowingly about concussion treatment goals. In a meeting room around the corner, an hour later, officials from a brain studies center talked somberly about concussion treatment realities. In the ballroom, there were hundreds of media members. In the meeting room, there were seven.

The brain of former National Hockey League player Derek Boogaard showed signs of early chronic traumatic encephalopathy, researchers report, shedding light on the neurological condition that may affect some athletes who sustain brain injuries during play. Boogaard died at age 28 from a drug overdose in May, and his brain was autopsied by Dr. Ann McKee, a neuropathologist at the Bedford VA Medical Center and co-director of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy at Boston University.

Flashy Rick Martin was never going to be confused with an enforcer, achieving acclaim as a vaunted goal-scorer, not a fighter, in his glory days with the Buffalo Sabres. But Martin, who died in March of a heart attack at age 59, was revealed to have had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated brain trauma, according to Boston University researchers in a report issued Wednesday. The other two former NHL players diagnosed with CTE, post-mortem, were known for their formidable fighting abilities, Bob Probert and Reggie Fleming . Martin was said to have stage two of the disease — stage four being the most severe.

Here's a mystery that parents, professional sports team owners and the nation's top uniformed generals would all like to see solved: given a series of blows to the head, who is most likely to go on to suffer personality changes, depression, memory and concentration problems later in life? Ideally, they'd want to know this early - perhaps before mom or dad signs junior up for tackle football or the Marines dispatch a newly minted jarhead to Afghanistan to face a plague of roadside bombs.

From Indianapolis -- The rooms were separated by 40 steps. It could have been 40 miles. It might, one day, be 40 lifetimes. In a hotel ballroom here Friday, in his annual Super Bowl address, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell spoke glowingly about concussion treatment goals. In a meeting room around the corner, an hour later, officials from a brain studies center talked somberly about concussion treatment realities. In the ballroom, there were hundreds of media members. In the meeting room, there were seven.

Serena Williams kept the No. 1, and added No. 50. Williams beat Maria Sharapova , 6-1, 6-4 in the final of the Madrid Open Sunday to retain her No. 1 ranking and collect her 50th career title. And Rafael Nadal eased by Stanislas Wawrinka , 6-2, 6-4, for his fifth title since returning from a knee injury. The second-ranked Sharapova would have overtaken the top ranking with a win, but Williams stormed out to an early lead as Sharapova struggled with her serve. Despite Sharapova briefly recovering her poise in the second set, Williams' form never dipped as she eased to the title.

Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chris Henry suffered from a chronic brain injury that may have influenced his mental state and behavior before he died last winter, West Virginia University researchers said Monday. The doctors had done a microscopic tissue analysis of Henry's brain that showed he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Neurosurgeon Julian Bailes and California medical examiner Bennet Omalu , co-directors of the Brain Injury Research Institute at West Virginia, announced their findings alongside Henry's mother, Carolyn Henry Glaspy , who called it a "big shock" because she knew nothing about her 26-year-old son's underlying condition or the disease.