A perusal of the recent news will reveal headlines pertaining to football players’ brain trauma and a corollary degenerative brain disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. CTE is highly correlated with collision sports, particularly football and boxing, where athletes are most prone to numerous head-jarring impacts. It may sound familiar because it made the news in 2017 when researchers examined the brain of former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez. Convicted of murder and serving a life sentence, Hernandez died by suicide and his brain was donated to Boston University’s CTE Center.

Researchers at Boston University reported to the press that they found Hernandez’s CTE to be the worst case they had seen in a young individual (Barlow, 2019). As an aside, no one has ever singled out CTE as the cause of Hernandez’s criminal behavior, as he had a complicated early family dynamic and significant substance abuse history, both of which shape one’s personality and behaviors.

Neurodegenerative dynamics of CTE

The condition is known to cause significant dysfunction in the amygdala, hippocampus and thalamus—brain regions that support memory, emotion and behavior (John et al., 2025). The frontal lobes, which are involved in numerous cognitive processes including attention and executive functioning, are also affected (McKee at al., 2013).

CTE made the news most recently because it was reported in the British Medical Journal (Daneshvar, August 2026) that one in four former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021, a period when brain donation was most frequent, showed CTE upon examination. What is more alarming is that the researchers reported it is likely more common. As a progressive disease, it may silently creep for years, feasibly beginning in youth and college collision sports players. Famed CTE researcher Dr. Ann McKee stated that a study she did in 2023, “…clearly shows that the pathology of CTE starts early…The fact that over 40% of young contact and collision sport athletes in the UNITE Brain Bank have CTE is remarkable” (Doctrow, 2023). It was also noted that, at the time, the youngest person ever diagnosed with it was 17.

While collision sport athletes are at a higher risk for CTE, clearly not everyone develops it. One reason may be that people with CTE also had genetic mutations like those found in Alzheimer’s disease (Dong et al., 2025). Perhaps there is a biological predisposition instigated by repeated head traumas. Regardless, the correlation between repetitive head jarring and CTE is uncanny, and protecting athletes’ heads has become a hot topic once again.

Many parents may be left wondering if they should allow their child to continue to play football, and college and professional athletes might be questioning their careers. Helmets help but merely absorb the shock; the head still gets jarred. Is one’s current athleticism setting them up for later-in-life neurodegenerative conditions, even as soon as their late teens or 20s?

How is CTE officially diagnosed?

Unfortunately, CTE cannot be officially diagnosed until a postmortem examination of the brain, because brain tissue must be examined for tau protein, something that is linked to neurodegeneration. While imaging studies might show brain damage, it is the link to tau protein that makes CTE unique, similar to how amyloid plaque is correlated to Alzheimer’s (e.g. Katsumoto et al., 2019). Ideally, researchers will eventually be able to examine the brain tissue of living subjects with symptoms and discover how to control its presence or expansion.

Can doctors suspect CTE and provide intervention?

In the meantime, doctors can suspect CTE based on symptoms and sport history. While there is not yet a cure, there is evidence that athletes with suspected CTE can be treated with medication and lifestyle changes (e.g. Rossi, 2023). NFL players have been made more aware of this after the recent Daneshvar et al. study. Quoting from a letter shared by NBC Sports that the NFL Player’s Union sent out to players:

According to Dr. Daniel Daneshvar, one of the lead researchers on the study, ‘Many of the symptoms associated with CTE are treatable with the right care.’ He stressed that, ‘While we don’t have a cure yet, we have seen improvements in players who receive care from doctors specializing in neurodegenerative disease and who know how to treat athletes. No one should walk away thinking there’s nothing they can do.’

With that in mind, recognizing possible signs of CTE is an important first step. According to Fesharaki-Zadeh (2019), there are four stages of CTE, each with their respective presentation, as follows:

The person is asymptomatic or may exhibit mild short-term memory deficits and/or depressive symptoms.
Mood and behavioral symptoms like aggressive outbursts and/or more severe depressive symptoms can appear.
This stage is marked by more cognitive symptoms such as further memory loss, impaired executive functioning, visuospatial dysfunction, and apathy.
Advanced language deficits, psychotic symptoms such as paranoia, motor deficits, and Parkinsonian-type symptoms appear.

If you’re a helping professional working with a younger person who plays collision sports, asking if they have experienced any of the above, most likely items in stage one or two, could be imperative to their future neurocognitive health. If they or their parent/guardian affirm the presence of symptoms, it does not mean they are developing CTE, as other factors could account for them. However, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and further psychological/neurological evaluation could be the first step in stalling or perhaps even arresting the development of CTE.

Disclaimer: The material provided in this post is for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any illness in readers or people they know. The information should not replace personalized care or intervention from an individual’s provider or formal supervision if you’re a practitioner or student.