The release of the autopsy results for former New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez has renewed questions about CTE-related deaths and safety in football, leading to research on the disease and changes in the sport.
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy is a neurodegenerative disease that scientists believe is caused by repeated brain trauma. The trauma causes tau proteins to form depositions in the brain, which spread and kill brain cells.
Joel Morgenlander, a professor of neurology and orthopaedic surgery at Duke University, said there is no definitive answer to what causes CTE.
“Defining the disease is still a process,” he said. “There’s not even a distinct test to diagnose CTE.”
He said diagnosis of CTE is limited to postmortem cases.
Kevin Guskiewicz, director of the Matthew Gfeller Sport-Related Traumatic Brain Injury Research Center at UNC and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said depression is found in former players that are later found to have CTE.
“The media would lead you to believe that suicidality is higher in former NFL players, which is actually not the case," he said. "It’s just the opposite.”
Aaron Hernandez's lawyer announced last Thursday that Hernandez had a severe form of CTE when he committed suicide in April.
Guskiewicz said he thinks individuals are genetically predisposed to be CTE-prone.