Hidden genetic damage is part of CTE, too, study finds – CTV

October 30, 2025

The neurologic disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE has most often been found in people who experienced repeated blows to the head while playing contact sports and there’s now evidence of genetic damage inside the brain, too.

The researchers examined the brains of football players and others with the rare neurological disease, and the genetic damage they found looks similar to what they see in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease. The damage was so extensive that it was the equivalent of hundreds of years of aging.

CTE typically develops years after someone has received repeated blows to the head. Symptoms can include memory loss, impulse control problems, anxiety, depression and anger issues. It’s most often seen in people who play sports like football, hockey and soccer, but it’s also been detected in the brains of soldiers who have been injured in explosions and in some people who experienced domestic violence.

The disease was first identified nearly 100 years ago in boxers – at the time, scientists called it “punch-drunk syndrome” – but there’s still much that experts don’t know about CTE. Not everyone with repeated head trauma develops the condition, and scientists don’t totally understand why or even how head trauma can lead to this disease.

Read more: https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/article/hidden-genetic-damage-is-part-of-cte-too-study-finds/