User:Ruhdekn3086/Chronic traumatic encephalopathy

Diagnosis
Diagnosis of CTE is not yet able to be made in living individuals. A clear diagnosis is only able to be made during an autopsy. Though there are signs and symptoms some researchers associate with CTE, there is no definitive test to prove the existence in a living patient. Clinical signs are also very similar to that of other neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's. In addition, because of the lack of understanding encircling this condition, it does not look like there will be a diagnostic tool in the near future.

Prevention
Prevention of CTE in sport is not an idealistic goal because repetitive concussions increase the risk for this condition. Prevention techniques are also difficult because diagnosis of the condition can only be during a postmortem autopsy. The initial onset of this condition can not yet be determined, and therefore creating techniques for prevention pose a struggle.

Some common preventative methods have been the utilization of helmets and mouth-guards, though neither have significant research to support their use, they have shown prevention in direct head trauma. Although there is no significant research to support the use of helmets to reduce the risk of concussions, there is evidence to support that helmet use lowers the impactive forces. Mouth guards have been shown to decrease dental injuries, but again have not shown significant evidence to reduce concussions. A growing area of practice is the improved recognition and treatment for concussions and other head trauma, because repeated impacts are thought to increase the likelihood of CTE development, removal from sport during these traumatic incidences is essential. Proper return to play protocol during brain injuries is also important to decrease the significance of future impacts.

Another factor that has been implemented and continues to be an area of debate is to change the rules of many contact sports to make the effectively safer. Examples of these rules are the evolution of tackle technique rules in American football, such as the banning of helmet-first tackles, and addition of rules to protect defenseless players. Likewise, another growing area of debate is the better implementation of current rules that have previously been put in place to protect athletes.

Investigators have demonstrated that immobilizing the head during a blast exposure prevented the learning and memory deficits associated with CTE that occurred when the head was not immobilized. This research represents the first case series of postmortem brains from U.S. military personnel who were exposed to a blast and/or a concussive injury.

Because of the concern that boxing may cause CTE, there is a movement among medical professionals to ban the sport. Medical professionals have called for such a ban since as early as the 1950s.

Epidemiology
Rates of disease have been found to be about 30% among those with a history of multiple head injuries. Population rates, however, are unclear. Diagnosis is only made postmortem, and therefore a definitive at risk group is difficult to determine because those being studied are usually only those we believe to be at risk, not an entire population.

Professional level athletes are the largest group with CTE, due to frequent concussions and sub-concussive impacts from play in contact sport. These contact-sports include American football, ice hockey, rugby, boxing, mixed martial arts, association football, wrestling. , and war veterans In association football, only prolific headers are known to have developed CTE.

Other individuals diagnosed with CTE were those involved in military service, had a previous history of chronic seizures, were domestically abused, or were involved in activities resulting in repetitive head collisions.

Imaging
Although the diagnosis of CTE cannot be determined by imagining, the effects of head trauma can be seen with the use of structural imaging. Imaging techniques include the use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, Computed Tomography, Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography, Diffusion Tensor Imaging, and Positron Emission Tomography (PET). . One specific use of imaging is the use of a PET scan is to evaluate for tau deposition, most commonly conducted on retired NFL players