Location
Suwanee, GA
Start Date
6-5-2025 1:00 PM
End Date
6-5-2025 4:00 PM
Description
Background:
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a degenerative brain disorder associated with repeated head injuries over the course of an individual's lifetime. A definitive diagnosis of CTE requires a post-mortem examination to thoroughly identify pathological markers such as hyperphosphorylated tau protein and astrocytic abnormalities. This review seeks to investigate the correlation between the amount of repetitive head impacts in American Football careers and the likelihood of developing CTE.
Methods:
Data was sourced from PubMed and compiled using the search “((CTE) and (Football))”, between the years of 2014 to 2025. The data included focused on the estimated number of head impacts of American Football players and the diagnosis of CTE post-mortem as well as its severity. Articles were excluded for reasons such as drug abuse or existing neurological issues. The Downs and Black risk of bias assessment tool was used to rate the quality of the selected articles.
Results:
With the data from the 6 articles that were chosen for this review, the mean duration of play for Mild CTE cases in American Football players was calculated to be 11.98 years; and for severe CTE, 15.46 years. Along with this, 5 of the 6 studies concluded that there is a significant positive correlation between number of years played and risk of CTE neuropathology development. Furthermore, all 6 articles concluded that there is a significant positive correlation between the number of repeated head injuries and development of CTE post-mortem. According to Montenigro et al. (2017), the average amount of impacts in a season is 580.5. Using this value, we extrapolate the number of impacts on average for mild cases of CTE vs severe cases of CTE.
Conclusion:
This literature review compiled data from multiple studies to objectively quantify the average number of career impacts of post-mortem CTE positive Football players to further highlight the correlation between number of impacts and severity of diagnosis. Players with more impacts demonstrated more severe stages (3-4) of CTE, compared to those with less impacts demonstrating more moderate stages (1-2). These findings highlight the significant neurological risks associated with prolonged exposure to repetitive head trauma and support the need for continued research into position-specific CTE risks and protective strategies for athletes in high impact sports. Furthermore, the information from this review can be used as a framework to educating athletes of their risks of CTE development with increased career length.
The American Football players that were diagnosed with CTE were broken up into two separate classification groups mild CTE and severe CTE. Increased levels of abnormal tau protein were found in these brains post-mortem in increasing levels as the severity increased. However, the consensus as to whether the age of first exposure or the kinetics of the trauma experienced by the players has a stronger influence on CTE risk remains to be seen based on the articles available.
Embargo Period
5-28-2025
Included in
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy and number of repetitive impacts in American football players
Suwanee, GA
Background:
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a degenerative brain disorder associated with repeated head injuries over the course of an individual's lifetime. A definitive diagnosis of CTE requires a post-mortem examination to thoroughly identify pathological markers such as hyperphosphorylated tau protein and astrocytic abnormalities. This review seeks to investigate the correlation between the amount of repetitive head impacts in American Football careers and the likelihood of developing CTE.
Methods:
Data was sourced from PubMed and compiled using the search “((CTE) and (Football))”, between the years of 2014 to 2025. The data included focused on the estimated number of head impacts of American Football players and the diagnosis of CTE post-mortem as well as its severity. Articles were excluded for reasons such as drug abuse or existing neurological issues. The Downs and Black risk of bias assessment tool was used to rate the quality of the selected articles.
Results:
With the data from the 6 articles that were chosen for this review, the mean duration of play for Mild CTE cases in American Football players was calculated to be 11.98 years; and for severe CTE, 15.46 years. Along with this, 5 of the 6 studies concluded that there is a significant positive correlation between number of years played and risk of CTE neuropathology development. Furthermore, all 6 articles concluded that there is a significant positive correlation between the number of repeated head injuries and development of CTE post-mortem. According to Montenigro et al. (2017), the average amount of impacts in a season is 580.5. Using this value, we extrapolate the number of impacts on average for mild cases of CTE vs severe cases of CTE.
Conclusion:
This literature review compiled data from multiple studies to objectively quantify the average number of career impacts of post-mortem CTE positive Football players to further highlight the correlation between number of impacts and severity of diagnosis. Players with more impacts demonstrated more severe stages (3-4) of CTE, compared to those with less impacts demonstrating more moderate stages (1-2). These findings highlight the significant neurological risks associated with prolonged exposure to repetitive head trauma and support the need for continued research into position-specific CTE risks and protective strategies for athletes in high impact sports. Furthermore, the information from this review can be used as a framework to educating athletes of their risks of CTE development with increased career length.
The American Football players that were diagnosed with CTE were broken up into two separate classification groups mild CTE and severe CTE. Increased levels of abnormal tau protein were found in these brains post-mortem in increasing levels as the severity increased. However, the consensus as to whether the age of first exposure or the kinetics of the trauma experienced by the players has a stronger influence on CTE risk remains to be seen based on the articles available.