Latest news with #Alzheimer'sDisease
The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- Health
- The Herald Scotland
CTE in NFL: Over 300 former players diagnosed with brain condition
Carrying an M4 rifle, the gunman walked into the building at 345 Park Avenue on Monday afternoon, July 28, and opened fire in the lobby, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference. He then got on an elevator, got off at the 33rd floor and shot someone else before turning the gun on himself. The NFL offices are located on the fifth floor of the building. What is CTE? CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy is a degenerative brain condition that happens after repeated head injuries. It has been commonly associated with football players, and can result even if they haven't experienced a concussion. According to the Concussion Legacy Foundation, symptoms do not generally begin appearing until years after the onset of head impacts. Symptoms are similar to those found in patients suffering from Alzheimer's Disease, according to Dr. Ann McKee, director of the UNITE Brain Bank at Boston University and perhaps the foremost authority on CTE through her years of research on the subject. NFL players diagnosed with CTE In 2023, Boston University's CTE Center updated the research it's been conducting since 2008 to announce that 345 of 376 former NFL players whose brains it studied (91.7%) have been diagnosed with CTE. Among the more prominent players to have been linked to CTE:
New York Times
13 hours ago
- Health
- New York Times
What is CTE? Explaining the disease referenced by New York gunman at NFL HQ building
New York Mayor Eric Adams said a note found on the gunman who carried out a deadly Midtown Manhattan office shooting on Monday evening mentioned the NFL, and that authorities 'have reason to believe he was focused on the league.' The three-page note, according to the New York Times, criticized the league for concealing the sport's safety issues and mentioned chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the degenerative brain disease that has been connected to repetitive brain trauma. Advertisement 'The motive appeared to be connected to the shooter's belief that he was suffering from CTE and (a claim that) he was an ex-NFL player,' Adams said on CNN. 'Those items just don't pan out. He never played for the NFL.' The shooter was identified as 27-year-old Shane Devin Tamura, according to New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch. Tamura played high school football in California, according to MaxPreps, and appeared on the roster for Granada Hills Charter in 2015, but he never played professionally. Let's examine what CTE is and its connection to football and the NFL. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is a degenerative brain disease most commonly found in athletes, particularly those who participate in contact sports such as football. It has also been linked to others with a history of repetitive brain trauma, such as military veterans. One of the leading experts in developing the understanding of CTE is Dr. Ann McKee, a neurologist who is the director of the Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and Boston University CTE Center. 'The most common neurodegeneration that we know about is Alzheimer's Disease,' McKee said. 'But CTE is similar. In the case of CTE, it's triggered by repetitive head trauma. We think that after sufficient amount of head trauma, this disease starts to develop in your brain and then becomes a progressive, widespread brain disease, as time goes on.' CTE is defined neuropathologically. It's not possible to make the diagnosis while a person is still alive, meaning a definitive CTE diagnosis can only be made after a person has died and the brain is preserved. According to the New York Times, Tamura's note included a request to 'Study my brain please. I'm sorry.' While a definitive diagnosis can't be made while a person is still alive, there are signs that one may be suffering from CTE. Personality shifts and drastic changes in a person's behavior or mood are common symptoms. Advertisement 'There are things like aggression and violent behaviors,' McKee said in the video. 'Impulsivity, a short fuse. Another common set of symptoms is memory loss and difficulty planning and organizing and difficulty with attention.' CTE is not a stagnant disease. The mildest form of CTE starts in one area of the brain, but the condition gets progressively worse as one ages, spreading to other parts of the nervous system. According to a 2023 report by the Boston University CTE Center, 345 of 376 deceased former NFL players whose brains were studied by the program were diagnosed with CTE. The first autopsy done on an NFL player that revealed CTE was in 2002, on former Pittsburgh Steelers center Mike Webster. Webster died of a heart attack on Sept. 24, 2002, at age 50, and was also diagnosed with CTE after his death. In December 2009, former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry died after falling out of the back of a moving truck. An autopsy revealed that the 26-year-old had CTE, the first instance of a player who had died while still active in the NFL being diagnosed with CTE. Over the years, numerous players have been in the headlines for CTE diagnoses. Three years after completing his Hall of Fame career, linebacker Junior Seau died after shooting himself in the chest, and was later diagnosed with CTE. Former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez died by suicide inside his prison cell after being found guilty of first-degree murder. Former Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher was also diagnosed with CTE after he died in a murder-suicide, first killing his girlfriend and then driving to the Chiefs' facility and shooting himself. The disease isn't only connected to those who played professionally. Another Boston University study of 152 young athletes who experienced repetitive head impacts and died under the age of 30 showed that 63 (41.4 percent) had evidence of CTE. Among those 63 with CTE, 49 of them played football and most of them didn't play above the high school or college level. Advertisement Beginning in 2011, nearly 5,000 former players sued the NFL for head trauma they endured during their professional playing careers. The lawsuits alleged the NFL knew about the health risks for years, but withheld that information from its players. Eventually, a settlement was reached that promised to provide benefits to retired NFL players and their families, including baseline testing as well as an uncapped compensation fund for those suffering from conditions such as dementia, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's or ALS. Yet complaints have followed about how the NFL approves or denies player claims to the fund. According to a 2024 report by The Washington Post, the settlement had approved nearly 900 dementia cases since 2017 but denied nearly 1,100 others, including about 300 players who had been diagnosed by a network of doctors the league funded to evaluate players showing early signs of dementia.
USA Today
19 hours ago
- Health
- USA Today
What is CTE? NYC gunman might have been targeting NFL over its handling of brain trauma
The man who walked into the New York City office building that houses the National Football League's headquarters and opened fire might have been targeting the NFL when he shot and killed four people, including an NYPD officer, according to multiple reports. A law enforcement official briefed on the investigation tells CNN that papers found on the body of Shane Devon Tamura indicate he had grievances with the league over its handling of CTE, a brain disease linked to head trauma. Sources tell CNN that Tamura was a competitive football player in his youth. Carrying an M4 rifle, the gunman walked into the building at 345 Park Avenue on Monday afternoon, July 28, and opened fire in the lobby, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference. He then got on an elevator, got off at the 33rd floor and shot someone else before turning the gun on himself. The NFL offices are located on the fifth floor of the building. What is CTE? CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy is a degenerative brain condition that happens after repeated head injuries. It has been commonly associated with football players, and can result even if they haven't experienced a concussion. According to the Concussion Legacy Foundation, symptoms do not generally begin appearing until years after the onset of head impacts. Symptoms are similar to those found in patients suffering from Alzheimer's Disease, according to Dr. Ann McKee, director of the UNITE Brain Bank at Boston University and perhaps the foremost authority on CTE through her years of research on the subject. NFL players diagnosed with CTE In 2023, Boston University's CTE Center updated the research it's been conducting since 2008 to announce that 345 of 376 former NFL players whose brains it studied (91.7%) have been diagnosed with CTE. Among the more prominent players to have been linked to CTE:
NDTV
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Actor Bruce Willis's Condition Worsens As Frontotemporal Dementia Progresses
Hollywood icon Bruce Willis is deteriorating rapidly, as reported by The Express. The American actor known for his roles in Die Hard, Pulp Fiction, and The Sixth Sense has been facing significant health challenges in recent years. According to the report, the 70-year-old actor "is said to have become largely non-verbal and is reportedly experiencing motor difficulties, though no specific details about his mobility have been confirmed by his family in recent months". Bruce Willis' family publicly announced in March 2022 that he would be stepping away from acting, following a diagnosis of aphasia - a neurological condition that affects a person's ability to communicate. Nearly a year later, in February 2023, his diagnosis was updated to frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a progressive brain disorder that impacts behavior, language, and personality. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bruce Willis (@brucewillisbw) What Is Aphasia? Aphasia is a disorder that results from damage to different parts of the brain that are responsible for communication. It mostly affects the areas of the left side of the brain, which impair the expression and understanding of language, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. According to the report, one of the most common causes of aphasia is stroke - a blood clot or a leaking or burst blood vessel stops blood flow that carries oxygen and nutrients to brain cells. What Is Frontotemporal Dementia? Frontotemporal dementia is one of the less common types of dementia and typically affects people at a younger age than Alzheimer's Disease. It is caused by the deterioration of the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, areas responsible for decision-making, emotional expression, and language. According to Healthline, frontotemporal dementia can lead to an array of symptoms, including difficulty speaking or understanding speech, personality changes, and impaired judgment. There is currently no cure, and treatment focuses on managing symptoms and supporting the patient to help improve the quality of life. Willis's family, including his wife Emma Heming Willis, ex-wife Demi Moore, and their children, have united to care for him and raise awareness about his condition. The family has been sharing updates on Bruce Willis' condition and the emotional toll that the diagnosis has taken on the family.
Indian Express
22-07-2025
- Health
- Indian Express
Saiyaara shows early onset Alzheimer's in 22-year-old: Why this is extremely rare and cannot be generalised
Bollywood's latest film 'Saiyaara', a love story between a 22-year-old girl battling early onset Alzheimer's and an aspiring musician, may have hit the right emotional chords but its depiction of the neurodegenerative brain disorder is far from reality. Neurologists say early onset generally doesn't happen before 40 and definitive symptoms hardly manifest in a patient in their 20s and 30s. 'Alzheimer's Disease in your 20s is an extremely rare disorder, so rare that there may be a handful of cases in the world. Existing medical literature has nothing by way of Alzheimer's in the 20s and shows early onset to be mostly occurring in people in their 40s. A majority of Alzheimer's patients are 65-plus,' says Dr Shivakumar R, head and senior consultant, neurology, Manipal Hospital, Bengaluru. So the film's depiction of early onset of Alzheimer's is far removed from evidence-based science. What is Alzheimer's Disease? It is a neuro-degenerative brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, and finally the ability to carry out even the simplest tasks and body functions. 'It happens because of clustering of a protein called beta-amyloid, which accumulates outside of nerve cells or neurons. Then there are tangles or twisted fibres of a protein called tau, which accumulates inside neurons. These disrupt normal brain function, leading to cell death and brain shrinkage,' says Dr Shivakumar. Almost everyone develops plaques and tangles as they age. But those with Alzheimer's Disease develop much more. One third of all neuro-degenerative conditions happen to be young-age Alzheimer's, according to Dr PN Renjen, senior neurologist at Apollo Hospital, Delhi. What triggers early or young onset Alzheimer's? That happens when you have a strong family history of the disease-causing gene, which means it has affected family members in multiple generations. 'A person can have early onset when they inherit the gene mutations from their parents. People living with Down's syndrome also carry the risk and may manifest Alzheimer's symptoms 10 to 20 years younger than the general population,' says Dr Shivakumar. What are the symptoms of early-onset Alzheimer disease? They tend to be atypical, ranging between headaches, aggressive behaviour, gait abnormalities and difficulty swallowing, not so much memory problems. 'Trouble solving basic problems, such as keeping track of bills, losing track of the date or time of year, repetitive questioning, difficulty finding words, disorientation, mood disorders and behavioural oddities are also potential early signs,' says Dr Renjen. How is early onset Alzheimer's diagnosed? Since doctors generally don't look for Alzheimer's in younger people, an accurate diagnosis may take a long time and appear confusing. 'Symptoms may be incorrectly attributed to stress or mental health conditions. Besides, there could be conflicting diagnoses by different doctors. Also, the disease affects each person differently and symptoms will vary accordingly,' says Dr Renjen. The current diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer disease depends on finding quite a few signs of mental decline. Then there could be cognitive tests recommended by the neuropsychologist. Tests of blood, urine and spinal fluid are followed by imaging tests such as CT and MRI scans of your brain. 'Now studies are on to identify biomarkers, like proteins or other markers, that can indicate the presence of a disease,' says Dr Renjen. A study published in Neurology suggests that beta-amyloid plaques can start accumulating in the brain as early as the 20s. This accumulation may not immediately cause noticeable symptoms but could indicate an increased risk for later-onset Alzheimer's. How is early-onset Alzheimer disease treated? There is no cure but early detection means the neurologist can suggest medication to slow down disease progression. Diet, exercise, sleep, cardiovascular and diabetes treatments, antioxidants, and cognitive training are supportive therapies. The average life expectancy after early onset diagnosis is around eight to 10 years but this can go up, depending on individual factors and the progression of the disease.
