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Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) and the Long-Term Consequences of Sports-Related Repetitive Subconcussive Brain Trauma: What We Know Now and What We Need to Know Next
Presented by:Robert A. Stern, Ph.D.
Professor of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Anatomy & Neurobiology
Boston University (BU) School of Medicine
Director of Clinical Research, BU CTE Center
Senior Investigator, BU Alzheimer’s Disease Center
Credit
CE:1.0
Description
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease found in individuals with a history of exposure to repetitive head impacts (RHI), such as former American football players, soccer players, and boxers. Referred to as “punch drunk” or dementia pugilistica since the early 20th century, the term “CTE” has been used since the 1950s to describe the clinical and neuropathological changes seen in individuals with RHI exposure. However, it is only in the past decade that CTE has received increased attention due to a growing number of deceased former NFL players being diagnosed with the disease postmortem. The tremendous growth in media attention to CTE has led to many misconceptions and misunderstanding about CTE. As with other neurodegenerative diseases, at this time CTE can only be confirmed by neuropathological examination. However, there are now consensus diagnostic criteria for the clinical presentation of CTE, and there have been several studies indicating potential neuroimaging and fluid biomarkers to detect and diagnose CTE during life. This workshop will provide an overview of what is currently known about CTE and what knowledge gaps exist, as well as current and future directions in research.
After the session, participants will be able to:
- Describe the neuropathological features of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
- Explain what is currently known about risk factors for developing CTE.
- Discuss the clinical features associated with CTE and the current diagnostic criteria for Traumatic Encephalopathy Syndrome.
- Describe the possible fluid and neuroimaging biomarkers for CTE.
- Explain the current gaps in knowledge about CTE and what research is needed to close those gaps.
Target Audience: Neuropsychologists and trainees
Instructional Level: Intermediate
Dr. Robert Stern is Professor of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Anatomy & Neurobiology at Boston University (BU) School of Medicine. He is an internationally recognized expert on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and the long-term effects of repetitive head impacts in athletes. He is Co-Founder and Director of Clinical Research for the BU CTE Center, and he is the lead investigator of a $17 million, 7-year NIH grant for a multi-center study to develop methods of diagnosing CTE during life as well as examining potential risk factors of the disease. Dr. Stern’s other major area of funded research includes the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. From 2010-2019 he was Clinical Core Director of the NIH-funded BU Alzheimer’s Disease Center. He oversees several clinical trials for the treatment and prevention of Alzheimer’s and has conducted research on innovative new tests to detect and diagnose the disease. Dr. Stern has over 250 publications, is a member of several medical journal editorial boards, and is the co-editor of two recent textbooks: Sports Neurology (Dr. Brian Hainline, co-editor), part of the Handbook of Clinical Neurology series, and the Oxford Handbook of Adult Cognitive Disorders (Dr. Michael Alosco, co-editor). He is a clinical neuropsychologist and has developed several widely used neuropsychological tests, including the Neuropsychological Assessment Battery (NAB). He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Neuropsychology and the American Neuropsychiatric Association. Dr. Stern is a member of the court-appointed Medical Scientific Committee for the NCAA Student-Athlete Concussion Injury Litigation, as well as the Mackey-White Health and Safety Committee of the NFL Players Association.