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Playing contact sports in youth associated with CTE

Researchers found an increased incidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy pathology among individuals who participated in contact sports at an amateur level, according to data published in Acta Neuropathologica.

In a study of brains from the Mayo Clinic brain bank, nearly one-third of men who played contact sports displayed pathology of the neurodegenerative disorder.

"Between 1982 and 2008, over 160 million men and women participated in sports in the USA at either the high school or collegiate level," Kevin F. Bieniek, a predoctoral student in Mayo Graduate School’s Neurobiology of Disease program, and colleagues wrote. "While current studies have focused on characterizing [chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)] in defined cohorts of mostly professional athletes and military veterans, there are no studies that have examined the frequency of CTE in unselected individuals from the general population."

The researchers examined 1,721 brains for CTE pathology and matched them with available medical records and information regarding contact sport participation. They defined contact sports as "organized athletics with the potential for repetitive traumatic brain injury," which included football, boxing, rodeo, ice hockey, soccer, basketball, wrestling, baseball, rugby and martial arts.

Records review showed 66 patients with a history of contact sports among the 1,721 participants. Bieniek and colleagues reported that 21 (32%) of these brains displayed pathology consistent with CTE. The brains were classified as CTE Stage I (n = 7), CTE Stage II (n = 7), CTE Stage III (n = 5) and CTE Stage IV (n = 2). Of these 21 participants, 11 played football, two boxed, one played baseball, one played basketball, one was unspecified and five played multiple sports, all including football.

The researchers noted that none of the control cases, which included 33 brains with documented head trauma, displayed CTE pathology.

"The results of our screen suggest that individuals with documented participation in contact sports are at an increased risk for CTE pathology compared to those with no such exposure or for whom exposure to contact sports is unknown," Bieniek and colleagues wrote. "The findings have important implications for public health given the number of individuals with past exposure to contact sports."

Bieniek explained that the results indicate a greater need for prevention.

"The purpose of our study is not to discourage children and adults from participating in sports because we believe the mental and physical health benefits are great," Bieniek said in a press release. "It is vital that people use caution when it comes to protecting the head. Through CTE awareness, greater emphasis will be placed on making contact sports safer, with better protective equipment and fewer head-to-head contacts." – by Chelsea Frajerman Pardes

Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.