Study finds CTE in at least one in four former NFL players

Brain study links CTE to at least one in four former NFL players

At least one in four former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 was found to have chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, according to a study released Tuesday. Researchers examined 235 donated brains from 878 former players who died during that period and found CTE in 215 of the donated brains.

CTE is a degenerative disease associated with repeated blows to the head, including concussions, and can only be definitively diagnosed after death.

What CTE can affect

Symptoms associated with CTE include difficulty with attention and memory, dementia, mood disorders and headaches. The study also found that dementia was common among the brain donors.

Daniel Daneshvar, the study’s lead author and chair of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Mass General Brigham, said repeated traumatic brain injuries are a known factor in elevated rates of neurodegenerative disease. He said NFL players have about four times the rate of death from neurodegenerative disease as the general population.

Researchers focus on impacts beyond the NFL

The study was conducted by Mass General Brigham, Boston University and the Concussion + CTE Foundation. Researchers urged prevention measures aimed at reducing repetitive head impacts across all levels of football.

Daneshvar said many of the head impacts experienced by the former players occurred during college, high school and youth football rather than at the NFL level. He said nearly 70% of head impacts occur in practice and argued that reducing contact in practices could lower cumulative exposure without changing game time.

NFL safety measures and player resources

The NFL said it is working to make football safer, including through strategies intended to reduce concussions and head impacts. The league also said former players have access to physical and mental health resources and encouraged them to use those resources when concerned about their health.

The NFL’s 2011 collective bargaining agreement limited contact practices during the season. The Ivy League later banned full-contact tackling during practices, and the US supreme court cleared the way in 2016 for an NFL settlement of concussion-related lawsuits with thousands of retired players.