Posted March 2023
In observance of Brain Injury Awareness Month, which occurs every March, we’re highlighting some of BU’s most groundbreaking brain research.
Founded in 1996, the Boston University’s Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) Center investigates CTE’s cause and progression with the aim of creating safer conditions for professional athletes, military personnel, and others who are exposed to repeated head injuries.
CTE is a degenerative disorder, shown to be caused by repeated head traumas over time, that is believed to impact around 1–6% of the population. A post-mortem brain tissue analysis is required for a full diagnosis, therefore the total number of living individuals suffering from the condition is unknown.
For those with CTE, continuous brain injuries cause an abnormal build-up and misfolding of tau, which is an essential protein for healthy brain function. As the development of abnormal tau progresses through the brain, common symptoms such as memory loss, impulse control problems, and depression occur.
In an effort to improve diagnostic criteria, establish environmental risk factors, and find an eventual cure, BU’s CTE Center focuses on three interconnected research endeavors: molecular research, clinical research, and the expansion of the UNITE Brain Bank. The Brain Bank collects and studies brain and spinal tissue, and is crucial to the Center’s understanding of the progression of the disease.
This past February, the Center published research that discovered evidence of CTE in 92% of the 376 former National Football League (NFL) players that were studied. The paper, co-authored by BU professor of neurology and pathology Ann McKee, has put public pressure on the NFL to change game guidelines and ensure player safety.
The study was made possible not only by BU’s dedicated researchers, but also by the family members of the deceased athletes who graciously donated their loved one’s brains and spinal cords and participated in extensive interviews.
This year, the CTE Center collaborated with the Mac Parkman Foundation for Adolescent Concussive Trauma to celebrate “Mismatched Socks for Mac Day” on March 10. The Mac Parkman Foundation was created to honor the legacy of Mac Parkman, who took his life at 17-years-old after struggling with brain-injury related mental health issues. The foundation advocates for millions of children like Mac who have been impacted by concussive and subconcussive trauma, and aims to increase awareness of the long-term implications of sports-related brain injuries.
A study released this March by the Center found that tackle football, one of the many sports Mac played, greatly increases the risk for brain decline later in life. Participation in contact sports from a young age can begin the critical loss of white matter in the brain early on. As a result of these findings, the Center has urged parents to think twice before signing their children up for similar sport activities.
Researchers at the CTE Center are optimistic that their findings are changing the way people think about the brain. “I actually think I am seeing younger players pay more attention to the potential risk… I think it will be slow. But I am encouraged by what happened, even this year,” McKee said to The Brink.
Check out the CTE Center’s official website to give your support and discover more about their research.