NIH draws concrete link between concussions and CTE

The National Institutes of Health, the world’s largest biomedical research agency, formally acknowledged a causal link between repeated brain injuries and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) for the first time on Monday.

• CTE is a neurodegenerative disease with symptoms similar to other forms of dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s. It can manifest months, years, or decades after someone’s last brain trauma incident. Currently, CTE can only be diagnosed in patients after they die.

🧠 A deeper dive… The NIH’s new guidelines came in response to an open letter co-signed by 41 leading scientists and doctors over the summer. In it, they cited recent peer-reviewed research establishing a clear link between CTE and the type of recurrent brain injuries suffered by abuse victims, soldiers, and athletes in certain sports (football, soccer, boxing, etc.).

• The NIH’s change brings the org in line with CDC guidelines, which were updated in 2019 to say CTE “is caused in part by exposure to repeated traumatic brain injuries.” (So it’s not great for your brain if you bang your head against things over-and-over? Got it, thanks.)

🏈 In related recent news: The NFL just implemented a new concussion protocol, put in place after an incident where QB Tua Tagovailoa was allowed to keep playing despite visibly stumbling following a head injury.