At least one in four former National Football League (NFL) players had evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, at the time of death, according to a new study from one of the U.S. research teams at the forefront of studying the devastating brain disease.

CTE — which can only be confirmed after death — is associated with repeated head trauma, often from contact sports. It can lead to debilitating symptoms ranging from severe memory loss and balance problems to major personality changes, including depression, aggression and thoughts of suicide.

A growing body of research has already shown exceptionally high rates of the disease in the donated brains of former NFL players. But researchers are quick to note that brain banks skew heavily toward people who experienced concerning symptoms during life and wanted their brains studied after death.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/cte-prevalence-nfl-players-9.7318799

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