Former quarterback Matt Hasselbeck participated in a live CTE diagnosis study at Boston University alongside researchers like Michael Alosco. The project aims to develop a method for diagnosing chronic traumatic encephalopathy in living individuals, building on existing knowledge from deceased cases.

The study collects data from hundreds of participants across multiple locations including Arizona, California, Texas, and Florida. Researchers seek both professional/football players and non-athletes with neurodegenerative conditions to compare brain patterns and advance understanding of CTE.

Volunteers like Hasselbeck and Bryan Savage underwent extensive testing including MRIs, PET scans, and cognitive assessments. The Massachusetts-based effort, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health with $15 million funding, hopes to eventually enable treatment trials similar to Alzheimer's research.