title: Chronic traumatic encephalopathy: historical origins and current perspective.
abstract: Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease that is most often identified in postmortem autopsies of individuals exposed to repetitive head impacts, such as boxers and football players. The neuropathology of CTE is characterized by the accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau protein in a pattern that is unique from that of other neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease. The clinical features of CTE are often progressive, leading to dramatic changes in mood, behavior, and cognition, frequently resulting in debilitating dementia. In some cases, motor features, including parkinsonism, can also be present. In this review, the historical origins of CTE are revealed and an overview of the current state of knowledge of CTE is provided, including the neuropathology, clinical features, proposed clinical and pathological diagnostic criteria, potential in vivo biomarkers, known risk factors, and treatment options.
authors.affiliation: Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118; email: valmont@bu.edu , tdstein@bu.edu , bobstern@bu.edu.
authors.forename: Philip H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Montenigro
authors.forename: Daniel T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Corp
authors.forename: Thor D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Stein
authors.forename: Robert C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Cantu
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Stern
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers; D001914:Boxing / Q000266:history / Q000293:injuries; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D020208:Brain Injury, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000266:history / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology; D005538:Football / Q000293:injuries; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D059906:Neuroimaging; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers
keywords: chronic traumatic encephalopathy; concussion; football; history; neurodegenerative disorders; traumatic brain injury