BOSTON (AP) — An extensive study of the brains of dead athletes and others shows that most had signs of brain damage after suffering repeated head injuries.
The study published Monday by the Boston University School of Medicine reports on the autopsies of 85 brain donors.
The autopsies revealed extensive evidence of protein tangles clogging brain tissue and causing the destruction of brain cells in football players, wrestlers, hockey players, boxers, and military combat veterans.
The researchers reported in the journal Brain that 68 of the 85 individuals they examined, all of whom had experienced repeated head trauma, had evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
Co-author Dr. Robert Cantu tells The Boston Globe (http://bo.st/UkaENu ) the study should convince doubters that CTE is a real condition caused by repeat head injuries.
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Information from: The Boston Globe, http://www.boston.com/globe
