Embedded Files
Cognitive Effects
Cognitive Effects
While we discussed the symptoms of having CTE, this will be a more in depth explanation of the cognitive effects that CTE has on the brain and the way it translates to how you act. CTE has a number of cognitive deficits which include;
Memory impairment
Short term, episodic and eventually dementia
Lack of insight
Perseveration
Which is continuous thinking about negative events in the past and struggling to change that thought.
Dysgraphia
Affected writing abilities, struggling to put thoughts onto paper, spelling, etc
Alogia
Lack of conversation, struggle to keep conversation
Language Difficulties
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5226136/
An example of the areas of the brain that are most likely affected due to CTE causing some of the above cognitive deficits are the frontal and temporal lobes and the hippocampus.
The frontal lobes are involved in motor function, problem solving, impulse control, language initiation, memory and judgement.
Temporal lobe is highly associated with memory skills. Results of a damaged temporal lobe can have dramatic effects on an individuals personality
The hippocampus is located in the medial temporal lobe, it is connected with the amygdala* in which it controls emotional memory recalling and regulation.
*Amygdala is the integrative centre for emotions, emotional behavior and motivations.
Aaron Hernandez
Aaron Hernandez
Aaron Hernandez was a professional football player that played for the New England Patriots as a successful tight end in which he played in the NFL for about 3 years until his career took an unparralled turn. His career was derailed as he was arrested and charged for the first degree murder of semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd in June, 2013. He ended up committing suicide in his jail cell by hanging himself on April 19, 2o17.
It turns out that after some autopsies and studies done, it was seen that Aaron Hernandez suffered from the most severe case of CTE ever found in a person of his age. He suffered from damage so severe that it would have had the most extreme effects on his decision-making, judgement and cognition.
It was said that for his age group he was at the severe end of the spectrum for having CTE. He was suffering from stage 3 which researchers had never seen in a brain younger than 46 years old.
In the above picture it shows us the difference between Aaron Hernandez's brain in comparison to a normal, healthy 27 year old. We see in Aaron's brain that it had dark spots associated with protein Tau and it also had shrunken.
Researchers that were studying this had noticed the hippocampus had shrunk, the frontal lobe had been pockmarked with protein Tau, the amygdala had been severely affected and the temporal lobes showed significant damage also. Due to the severity of CTE in the brain it would have had a detrimental impact on memory, problem-solving, impulse control, social behavior, emotional regulation, behavior and sight and sound.
It was said that the physical damage inside Hernandez's brain provides another layer to the catastrophic and tragic downfall of Hernandez.
Trying to connect the cognitive effects of CTE to Aaron Hernandez's behavior may be hard as CTE is still a relatively new issue comparatively speaking, however an example of something to look into more might be the question of problem solving in relation to executive functioning as that is a symptom. Is problem solving and decision making hindered in the sense that something we might find unacceptable might be okay to someone who is suffering from CTE and might think that that is acceptable and the solution?
More information on this story can be viewed at the link here
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/aaron-hernandez-suffered-from-most-severe-cte-ever-found-in-a-person-his-age/2017/11/09/fa7cd204-c57b-11e7-afe9-4f60b5a6c4a0_story.html
If you would like to know more about Aaron Hernandez's story and more about the severity of CTE and the possible effects it can have on someone. Check this documentary series below on Netflix out.
Page updated
Report abuse