Study finds 99% of donated brains have CTE

[Tuck]

What this study says to me: if you have a loved one who is playing or has played professional football and you think they have CTE, they probably do.

 

[Patstopia]

I think that they need a more comprehensive study that is not limited to people who were already exhibiting symptoms of CTE.
For example, are all sports related activities subject to this problem. Not just contact sports but gymnastics or even race car drivers? Is it just contact that causes CTE or can it be violent motions of any kind like a Jet fighter pilot with the G forces pressuring the brain?
There are so many questions as to who is actually safe from CTE and how to avoid it. Hopefully they can figure out a way to protect a players head with better helmets or mouth piece!

 

[Tony2046]

The strange things is signs of CTE and ADHD are almost identical.

I was diagnosed with ADD about 15 years ago

10 Symptoms of Adult ADHD

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy: Prevention is key

Same here. hahaha

Had to go through a couple of days of testing. Got prescribed adderall which somewhat helps although I think exercising and diet help more.

 

[PatriotsReign]

Same here. hahaha

Had to go through a couple of days of testing. Got prescribed adderall which somewhat helps although I think exercising and diet help more.

Wow, we have to stop arguing! You're like my twin!

Since I'm a recovering alcoholic/addict, I don't take anything. I tried it for a few weeks but I felt too much of a buzz.

I agree with your comments on excercise though. I pinched a nerve in my neck last year and haven't worked out heavy since. But I take long walks

 

[Tony2046]

Wow, we have to stop arguing! You're like my twin!

Since I'm a recovering alcoholic/addict, I don't take anything. I tried it for a few weeks but I felt too much of a buzz.

I agree with your comments on excercise though. I pinched a nerve in my neck last year and haven't worked out heavy since. But I take long walks

I got the buzz as well but after taking it for awhile it stops. I guess your body gets used to it. It is a drug though. When I first started taking it I didn't really feel like I was myself. Now I feel more like myself but a little more focused and upbeat.

We are similar in many ways although I think I'm a little more liberal than you in thought on some things. But unlike others I enjoy the debate without trying to demonize someone else's point of view. At least for the most part. I try to restrain myself resorting to name calling etc... although the resident Jete fan is pushing the limit.

I've been working out heavy for the last year or so. Am trying to bench 300 while I'm 50. Not sure if I'll make it. I've hit a plateau and have been stuck there for awhile. But the heavy lifting seems to give me the biggest boost psychologically. I do sprints with my son and ride my bike for cardio. I need to drop about 50 pounds though. Carrying all that extra weight doesn't help things either.

Good stuff PR. Thanks for mentioning that ADHD and CTE share the some of the same symptoms. I'm sure you were throwing that out there in case it would help.

 

[FourierSeries]

I couldn't care any less about any of these players outside of the 3 hours each week that they get paid to entertain me. If they end up a vegetable after their career expires, so be it.

 

[Tony2046]

Wow. What a garbage post.

 

[PatsBoy12]

That's alarming . . .

 

[deroc5050]

The "dementia and Alzheimer's happen, so let kids play football" argument is kind of like saying "well all sorts of cancer happen eventually, what's the harm in smoking?"

Thats not at all what I am saying, I just want more information. And seeing as I would assume 99% of the people on these forums are football fans. How would you like it if next season the game was turned into two hand touch or flag football.. or football without helmets. I am sure you would love that.

I don't think anyone doubts that playing football is dangerous, my mother never let me play as a kid. She literally fought my dad and she won. So I never got to play football. Its just basic physics 250+ lb men colliding with each other at 20 MPH is like a car crash under the right circumstances.

If you play football you know its dangerous. If you smoke cigarettes you know they are bad for you. The difference is football can be fun and if you make it to the highest level you get paid lots of money. If men want to take that chance and are gifted enough that should be there decision.


I know alot of kids that played football well into highschool and none of them have issues at least in there 30's and 40's. Obviously the risk gets higher as you head up the ranks into college and the pros.

 

[deroc5050]

I couldn't care any less about any of these players outside of the 3 hours each week that they get paid to entertain me. If they end up a vegetable after their career expires, so be it.

I get what your saying. But my general thought on it is simple. WE ALREADY KNOW FOOTBALL IS DANGEROUS. If they want to play thats there decision. They got college educations.. they have more choices than most people so if they choose to go for the fame and the money its there decision. And the NFL will continue no matter what. Until it stops making money. As long as its making money.. its ok. Thats America.

 

[primetime]

Most people who play football do not get college educations as a result. If you assume that the only way CTE presents is if you play NFL football, then you're right, maybe the risk does get outweighed by the reward. But it sure as hell doesn't when kids are having lifelong cognitive impairments because they played Pop Warner, something that findings have implied.

And no, we don't know how dangerous it is. That's exactly the point. Each new study that comes out seems to be increasingly alarming. No one who's chosen to play football who's in the NFL today had any knowledge of CTE when they began playing.

As for football, I'd deal if they killed it tomorrow. I have other hobbies. I hope other folks on this forum do too.

 

[JarOfMayo51]

I would like to see a report from random people and a report from random NFL players in the future.

How many people will develop CTE that did not play in the NFL. I really would need that information so we could have a better informative discussion about the reality and the risks involved playing Pro Football.

2 of my grand parents and some great ancestors were known to have dementia in there late 70's and got worse into there 80's.

I have seen Dementia and alzheimer's develop right in front of me over an 8 year period. My ancestors did not play pro football.

Obviously NFL players are at higher risk of brain injury but degenerative diseases can happen to anyone.

As long as the NFL keeps raking in the money, there is no way the game will be stopped or altered in a way to severely cripple the product on the field. Steps might be taken but it will be the players signing a contract knowing that they are at risk. And just about every player already knows this.

The issue isn't with current players and even college level players, those generations will continue to pursue an NFL career knowing the risks because they want to cash in

I think its more of a long term, systemic issue where parents of kids ages 7-16 or so will not want their kids playing dangerous sports like football with all of the injury risks... more specifically, head injuries

If less and less kids play football at the pop warner and highschool level, the overall talent pool of players by the time they make it to the NFL will be much smaller, which will lower the quality of the product

 

[Galeb]

while i get you were making a joke, that point does have some merit in terms of this study.

they have a strong sample bias because it was a study of donated brains. So these were all people that showed symptoms of CTE and thought themselves they had it. So it stands to reason you would see such a high rate of CTE in the studied brains.

what you need is a random sample of all football players with a fairly even distribution across years played in, # of years played and position. You would also need a control sample from the non football playing population with similar diversity (different regions, races, gender and ages). Then you can do a true comparison and make valid conclusions about the link between football and CTE.

it's the same thing as me doing a study on favorite football teams and only choosing a sample from New England. My results will tell me the Patriots are the favorite team of 90+% of the sample, but I can't then use that result to say 90% of all football fans are Patriots fans.

The point has absolutely no merit because the donating of the brains doesn't cause CTE.

Obviously those who took pains to donate their brains because they thought they had CTE would be a much higher percent than a random sampling. Regardless, 99% is damning.

 

[PatriotsReign]

I got the buzz as well but after taking it for awhile it stops. I guess your body gets used to it. It is a drug though. When I first started taking it I didn't really feel like I was myself. Now I feel more like myself but a little more focused and upbeat.

We are similar in many ways although I think I'm a little more liberal than you in thought on some things. But unlike others I enjoy the debate without trying to demonize someone else's point of view. At least for the most part. I try to restrain myself resorting to name calling etc... although the resident Jete fan is pushing the limit.

I've been working out heavy for the last year or so. Am trying to bench 300 while I'm 50. Not sure if I'll make it. I've hit a plateau and have been stuck there for awhile. But the heavy lifting seems to give me the biggest boost psychologically. I do sprints with my son and ride my bike for cardio. I need to drop about 50 pounds though. Carrying all that extra weight doesn't help things either.

Good stuff PR. Thanks for mentioning that ADHD and CTE share the some of the same symptoms. I'm sure you were throwing that out there in case it would help.

I used to be very liberal in my younger days. And even to this day I'm liberal in that I'm not a fan of big corporations and the power they have. But we'll skip that here.

Eight years ago I weighed 310lbs. I went on a hospital supervised diet and lost 120 lbs in 6 months. It was all liquid and I actually enjoyed being on it. I was getting signs of diabetes and struggled just to walk up stairs.

When I started the diet, I walked everyday. At first all I do was a half mile. Within a month it was 3 miles a day and after 3 months I'd do 9 mikes one day and 6-7 another day along with some 3 mike days.

Back in my 20's & 30's, I loved to jog. But my body can't handle it any longer.

My father is 87 and works out 3 days a week! So I have a good role model. But there's nothing like a vigorous weight training. And you're getting me pumped to get back to it.

But after 2 pinched nerves in my neck, it's going to be easy does it all the way. My goal is now just to be physically and mentally healthy. I don't care about getting ripped.

I did post the symptoms of ADD and CTE for you and anyone else that may be interested. Everyone has issues at some point. And since we're anonymous, I don't mind sharing mine if it can help someone.

 

[neuronet]

Haven't read thread but these studies always have serious flaw need age matched control group. Histology and "diagnosis" based on it should be done blind to group membership. Studies lacking such basic controls wouldn't make it to peer review in my field. Just sayin. Not saying there is nothing to see here, but that methods are sloppy AF.

 

[Tony2046]

Haven't read thread but these studies always have serious flaw need age matched control group. Histology and "diagnosis" based on it should be done blind to group membership. Studies lacking such basic controls wouldn't make it to peer review in my field. Just sayin. Not saying there is nothing to see here, but that methods are sloppy AF.

I'm not being snarky. You should read some of Primetimes posts. Really good stuff.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

The issue isn't with current players and even college level players, those generations will continue to pursue an NFL career knowing the risks because they want to cash in

I think its more of a long term, systemic issue where parents of kids ages 7-16 or so will not want their kids playing dangerous sports like football with all of the injury risks... more specifically, head injuries

The real turning point, if it ever comes, will be when insurance companies get nervous enough that they will not write liability policies for schools (public or private) unless the policies contain language excluding football from coverage. When that happens, you will see schools jettisoning football left and right.

 

[deroc5050]

Most people who play football do not get college educations as a result. If you assume that the only way CTE presents is if you play NFL football, then you're right, maybe the risk does get outweighed by the reward. But it sure as hell doesn't when kids are having lifelong cognitive impairments because they played Pop Warner, something that findings have implied.

And no, we don't know how dangerous it is. That's exactly the point. Each new study that comes out seems to be increasingly alarming. No one who's chosen to play football who's in the NFL today had any knowledge of CTE when they began playing.

As for football, I'd deal if they killed it tomorrow. I have other hobbies. I hope other folks on this forum do too.

Yeah of course there are other things to do. But seeing as football is the most popular sport in the USA by a country mile... I just find it funny that your on a football forum and then saying you would just shrug it off if the NFL came to a stop. I am sure there will be plenty of people who would be very upset if the NFL stopped tomorrow. I would be pissed December and January are fun times on Saturdays and Sundays when the Pats are making there playoff run. Plus the fact football is such an awesome sport it would be sad to lose it. And I don't really watch other sports anymore.

As far as the pop warner and little kids football stuff, I have no idea. If its really that dangerous then they should make an age limit when organized football can be played. Freshmen year in high school.

 

[deroc5050]

The issue isn't with current players and even college level players, those generations will continue to pursue an NFL career knowing the risks because they want to cash in

I think its more of a long term, systemic issue where parents of kids ages 7-16 or so will not want their kids playing dangerous sports like football with all of the injury risks... more specifically, head injuries

If less and less kids play football at the pop warner and highschool level, the overall talent pool of players by the time they make it to the NFL will be much smaller, which will lower the quality of the product

Yes I heard that argument last year. It makes sense but I think the southern states alone could support the NFL and there is no way in hell SEC country or Texas or California will stop producing enough kids to play. Not in my life time anyway.

Also consider there might be cures for brain injuries in the next 30 years.

 

[K. Dog]

Soccer's a good game, anyways.

The heading can pose problems, according to some.