An estimated 75% of professional football players who died over a 15-year span had signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, according to a study published Wednesday in JAMA Network Open. It is the highest estimate to date, tripling a previous figure from the same research group.
Study leader Yorghos Tripodis of Boston University’s Alzheimer’s Disease and CTE Center said researchers combined data from the UNITE Brain Bank with national death records. They examined 396 donated brains and information from 1,966 other deceased former NFL players who died from 2008 to 2023. After correcting for donation bias, they estimated that among roughly 2,360 former players, about 1,760 had CTE.
The study also found about 27% of former players had dementia. Researchers noted CTE can only be diagnosed after death, and symptoms may overlap with other illnesses. An NFL spokesperson said the league continuously strives to make football safer, including strategies to reduce concussions and head impacts.
Source: Hacker News · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing