CTE is a neurodegeneration, a brain disease that's progressive and characterized by a build-up of a protein called tau.
See all video interviews with Dr. Ann McKee.
Turn Text Only Off
Page Utilities
Click on any phrase to play the video at that point.
So Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy is a neurodegeneration.
It's a brain disease that's progressive,
that's characterized by the build-up of a protein called Tau.
What generally happens is a person gets
symptomatic in their middle life--30s, 40s.
Personality change, mood swings, irritability,
maybe aggression, and those symptoms
continue to progress as an individual lives.
And ultimately, if the individual lives long enough,
there can be dementia, Parkinsonism, gate or speech disorders.
And now we're even seeing a subset with
ALS-like symptoms.
In my laboratory, we prepare these very large brain slides,
which aren't very commonly used.
The beauty of those large brain slides is that you can hold them
up on a photo scanner or just look at them with your
naked eye, and you can see that the pathology.
You can see how widespread the pathology is.
So what it looks like is the Tau protein,
which we, through a series of reagents,
stain brown so you see this tremendous build-up of this brown
protein throughout the cerebral cortex
and in the deep structures of the brain.
It doesn't take an expert, it doesn't take a doctor or pathologist.
Anybody can see that they don't want those brown,
ugly spots on their brain, and it's clear.
Produced by Noel Gunther and Brian King, BrainLine.
Ann McKee, MD is the chief neuropathologist for the Framingham Heart Study (FHS) and the Boston University-based Centenarian Study, where ongoing surveillance of the FHS and centenarian participants will determine the incidence and type of dementia in persons in the ninth through the eleventh decades of life. She is also the chief neuropathologist for the Boston-based Veterans Administration Medical Centers and for the Sports Legacy Institute.
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.
Related Content
Audio/Video:
“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
- Tau protein shows up in the brain in other neurodegenerative diseases, but only in this unique, tangled pattern in CTE.
See all videos interviews with Dr. Ann McKee.
- What Is Tau and Its Role in Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy?
- Second impact syndrome (SIS) can have in-an-instant, tragic consequences. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), on the other hand, can have slow and heartbreaking consequences.
- The Science Behind Second Impact Syndrome and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy
- "We knew it existed in boxing, but we didn't know it was living amongst us ... "
See all videos interviews with Dr. Ann McKee.
- Repetitive Brain Trauma
- 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?
- 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
- If your brain doesn't get to recover properly from one concussion before sustaining another concussion -- even a seemingly mild one -- the damage can be far worse, long-lasting, even fatal. Produced by Vicky Youcha and Brian King.
Transcript of this video.
- Second Impact Syndrome in Children
- Dr. James Kelly is professor of Neurosurgery and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine and associate director of the Colorado Area Health Education Center System. This is BrainLine's exclusive interview with Dr. Kelly recorded on July 11, 2008. Transcript of this video.
- Dr. James Kelly Talks About Second Impact Syndrome
Articles:
- Head to Head with Christopher Nowinski
- Head Games
- What Is Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy?
- What Is Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy – and What Should Athletes Know?
- What Is Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy?
- Repetitive Head Injury Syndrome
- ACTive: Free Concussion Training for Sports Coaches
- Concussion and Sports: Know Your Game!
- Concussion and Sports
- CTE from Abuse, Not Sports?
BrainLine Footer
Getting Started |
Site Features |
Follow Us |
About |
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
YouTube
RSS Feeds
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.
© 2013 WETA All Rights Reserved
