Turn Text Only Off

Home | TBI Topics See All TBI Topics Up Arrow

About Traumatic Brain Injury

Caregiving & Brain Injury

Intimate Relationships

Seniors & Brain Injury

Advocacy

Coma / Vegetative State

Legal Issues

Sleeping Problems

Anxiety & Stress

Concussion / Mild TBI

Living with Traumatic Brain Injury

Speech & Language Therapy

Behavioral & Emotional Symptoms

Diagnosing & Treating Brain Injury

Military & Veterans

Substance Abuse

Brain Injury Rehabilitation

Employment & Training

Physical Symptoms of Brain Injury

Thinking / Cognitive Symptoms

Brain Injury Symptoms

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

TBI Basics

For People with TBI

For Family and Friends

For Professionals

Javascript is not enabled!
Please be aware that without javascript enabled this site will not look or function as intended.
If you have any questions, please contact info@brainline.org

Page Utilities

CTE from Abuse, Not Sports?

Steven Flanagan, MD, BrainLine

Multimedia

Blatant hits and fouls are not necessary in kids' sports; rule changes could make sports safer. Making Kids' Sports Safer
The hormonal and morphological structures in girls make them more vulnerable to TBIs than boys. Why Are Girls More Likely to Sustain a TBI in Sports?
Increased knowledge about the long-term effects from contact sports may catalyze rule changes.
See all videos interviews with Dr. Ann McKee.
Are Contact Sports Dangerous?
A jarred brain needs sufficient time to rest and recover. It's simple, but makes all the difference in the long term.
See all videos interviews with Dr. Ann McKee.
How Can We Improve the Way Sports Handle Brain Injuries?
A doctor/parent talks about trying to find a balance between the benefits and dangers of letting his children play contact sports. Should You Let Your Child Play Contact Sports?
During any given season in football or ice hockey, for example, a player has a 5-10% chance of sustaining a concussion. How Common Are Concussions in Contact Sports?
People need to know that a concussion can be a serious event, repetitive concussions even more so. Proper recovery is essential to outcome. Concussions and Contact Sports
“Brown Is Bad, Brown Is Cell Death.” The “brown” is tau, a protein that accumulates in the brains of people, like professional football players and boxers, who have sustained repeat blows to the head. Learn about the research and education going on at the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy, a collaboration between Boston University School of Medicine and the Sports Legacy Institute. See all videos interviews with Dr. Ann McKee. Game Changers
Jason Belser played 11 seasons in the NFL and is now an executive with the National Football League Players Association. Here he discusses why athletes might resist leaving the game after a possible concussion. Produced by Brian King and Noel Gunther. Transcript of this video.
Jason Belser Discusses Concussion and the NFL
Retired NFL player Jason Belser talks about what strategies the NFL Players Association is using to educate young players about concussion and safety. Young Football Players and the NFL's New Safety Tactics

As a child, my husband was beaten on the head by an abusive father then, as a young adult, he went into the military and received multiple blows to the head. He has memory loss, depression, and other mental issues. Could these symptoms point to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) rather than to the basic diagnoses of depression, memory loss, etc.?

Multiple concussions or mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI) may result in the cognitive and behavioral problems as you describe. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a relatively new term that refers to a pattern of pathological findings in the brains of individuals (predominantly athletes) who sustained multiple mTBIs and manifested cognitive and behavioral problems.

Individuals who are depressed may also complain of memory difficulties. In fact, many people with mTBI are depressed, which can make an accurate diagnosis more challenging because of similar and overlapping symptoms. Currently, CTE cannot be diagnosed until after a person’s death. Therefore, it is important to provide your healthcare provider information pertaining to your history of concussions in order to most appropriately guide treatment. Treatment could include rehabilitation, counseling, and/or medication.

Click here to go to About Ask the Expert.

Steven Flanagan, MD is professor and chairman of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, and the medical director of the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, New York University Langone Medical Center.

The contents of Brainline (the “Web Site”), such as text, graphics, images, information obtained from the Web Site’s licensors and/or consultants, and other material contained on the Web Site (collectively, the “Content”) are for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for medical, legal, or other professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Specifically, with regards to medical issues, always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the Web Site. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. The Web Site does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, physicians, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned on the Web Site. Reliance on any information provided by the Web Site or by employees, volunteers or contractors or others associated with the Web Site and/or other visitors to the Web Site is solely at your own risk.

Comments

There are currently no comments for this article

+ Add Comment

BrainLine Footer

Getting Started

Site Features

About

BrainLine.org is a WETA website funded by the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center through a contract with the Henry M. Jackson Foundation. Government funding support is not an endorsement of WETA or any of its products, including this website.