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On this page we will be looking at the diagnosis and potential treatments and cure (if any) of CTE
The above picture shows someone undergoing an At Home -Transcranial LED Therapy
The above picture shows a patient in a hyperbaric chamber
Diagnosis
Diagnosis
The prevalence of having CTE is very high, and higher than you may think. A new study was taken and approximately 6% of the general population may have this disorder. A common misconception is that it is just a injury in athletes, this recent study shows us that although the highest rates and the prevalence may be higher in athletes, a significant number of nonathletes have/had CTE.
For more information on this study mentioned above click the link below
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/915218
However, due to the long lasting concerns and effects it has had... CTE has proven a point of extreme concern to researchers and physicians. Normally if you suffer an injury or a concussion you go to the specialist, get referred for an Xray, MRI or CT scan to hopefully find out what's wrong, get the results back and resume appropriate treatment for recovery. Unfortunately that is not the case with CTE. There is no way to know for sure if you have CTE as for now it can ONLY be diagnosed through an autopsy after death. CTE is NOT a clinical diagnosis, there is no MRI or CT scans you can order to diagnose it.
Researchers and Scientists are working incredibly hard to further understand it and to try and identify ways to diagnose it while alive.
Breakthroughs?
Breakthroughs?
According to a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine by Robert Stern. Findings reveal that an experimental PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scan on living people is able to detect abnormal brain tissue (Protein Tau) in patterns similar to those found in the brains of deceased people diagnosed with CTE after death.
For more information on this study click the link below
https://www.bumc.bu.edu/busm/2019/04/10/toward-diagnosing-cte-in-living-people/
Above picture - left: healthy brain, right: CTE
Above picture - showing the deterioration of the brain and what having CTE does to it.
Treatment
Treatment
Unfortunately there is no treatment or cure for CTE at the moment. If you are an athlete that plays a sport which involves a lot of contact and getting hit in the head, or even heading the ball it is probably best to keep an eye on any activity which involves bumping your head and be mindful while still playing competitively or having fun. It is difficult to have treatment for something that can't be diagnosed until after death, so this has been difficult but a number of scientists have been working on alternative treatments in order to find ways to cease the symptoms for a long period of time. Some of these alternative treatments include;
Light Therapy
Light therapy is shown to have increased the ATP (energy production) in hypoxic cells. Hypoxic cells are cells that lack oxygen due to an injury or a disease. A lot of studies have shown that light therapy is seen to widen blood vessels (vasodilation) in which it increases blood flow in limited, specific areas of the brain.
There was a case study done which involved a professional retired football player undertaking the light therapy which consisted of six weeks of in clinic light therapy to try and reduce their symptoms of PTSD and depression. After the six weeks, the symptoms had significantly reduced and had a dramatic cognitive and language improvement.
For more information on the case study and to look at more case studies involving this click the link here.
https://www.concussionalliance.org/blog/light-therapy-a-potential-treatment-for-possible-cte
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy involves breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized environment. It has shown in a number of case studies to have improved neuroplasticity * and revitalize cognitive functions that have been damaged in CTE patients.
A 15 year old high school football player lost the ability to read following 2 concussions in a 2 week period. He wasn't being treated correctly which lead to these drastic symptoms. Following HBOT treatment, neurocognitive testing revealed that the teen's visual motor speed and reaction time increased by 35 and 25%, his headaches were also reduced by 80%.
For more information on this click the link here
https://tbitherapy.com/how-can-nfl-players-treat-cte-symptoms/
*Neuroplasticity is the ability of neural networks in the brain to change through growth and reorganization.
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