Military & VeteransWe’ve learned more about CTE in ten years than we learned about Alzheimer’s in at least 20 years. This is largely in part to the amount of donations made to CTE brain banks. By donating your brain to this science, you are contributing to the future health of other service members.
We’re nowhere near the number of brain studies
in military, especially of the OIF/OEF, the recent war, that we just don’t have as many
to study. It’s like 10% of what we got in athletes,
and it’s a more complicated story. So there’s a huge push for more military
brains. Of course we want everyone to live healthy,
long lives. That’s not the point. But if the tragedy happens, if they do lose
their lives, can we study the brain so we can give some hope and optimism to the current
military personnel, the people that are at risk for these disorders so we know more. Our knowledge has expanded exponentially because
of our very successful brain bank. Learning the mechanisms, the underlying pathologies
of the disease has just given us tremendous insights. I actually think that we’ve learned more
CTE in ten years than we learned about Alzheimer’s in at least 20 years. I mean it’s been a very rapid accumulation
of knowledge, and that been largely because of the brain bank series. We just aren’t at that level with military. The word isn’t out. We need to study those military brains. And by donating your brain to this science,
you are contributing to the future health of other soldiers and military personnel. There’ll never be a time where we’re not
in conflict or at war. There’ll never be a time when we don’t
have a military. This will be a constant in our lives. But if we can know more and keep them safe,
that’ll be a tremendous advance. This video was produced by BrainLine thanks to generous support from the Infinite Hero Foundation.
Posted on BrainLine January 11, 2019.
About the author: Ann McKee, MD
Ann McKee, MD is the chief neuropathologist for the Framingham Heart Study and the Boston University-based Centenarian Study. She is also the chief neuropathologist for the Boston-based Veterans Administration Medical Centers and for the Sports Legacy Institute.
