CTE Found in Young Athletes: Urgent Action Needed from Sports Leagues
The Boston University CTE Center has released the results of a groundbreaking study that sheds light on the prevalence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in young athletes. This study, considered the largest-ever investigation of its kind, examined the autopsied brain tissue of 152 deceased young athletes, all of whom competed in youth, high school, or college sports and died before the age of 30.
Shockingly, the study found signs of CTE in 63 out of the 152 brains analyzed. These findings have significant implications for sports leagues worldwide. CTE, previously thought to primarily affect older individuals, is now shown to develop early in life. The study’s lead neuropathologist and Boston University CTE Centre Professor, Ann McKee, emphasizes that this study clearly shows that the pathology of CTE starts early.
Among the subjects of this study was the first American female athlete diagnosed with CTE, following the Australian Sports Brain Bank’s report of the world’s initial case of CTE in a female athlete just months prior. These discoveries underscore the urgent need for sporting organizations to take action to protect the brains of all athletes, particularly those involved in junior and recreational competitions.
While dementias like CTE have long been associated with older age groups, recent cases involving high-profile athletes have shattered that perception. Prominent NRL player and coach Paul Green, former AFL star Shane Tuck, and former AFLW player Heather Anderson were all diagnosed with CTE posthumously. Furthermore, a recent study in the United States even found CTE in the brain of an 18-year-old athlete.
CTE is known to cause mood disorders, behavior changes, and an increased risk of suicide. The risk factors for young athletes are complex, but cumulative exposure to repeated brain trauma, rather than the number of diagnosed concussions, appears to be the strongest predictor for developing CTE. The study indicates that prolonged exposure to repeated low-level impacts, which often go unnoticed, may result in a greater volume of brain trauma over an athlete’s lifetime when compared to more forceful injuries.
The responsibility lies with sports bodies to protect athletes from the risks of mild traumatic brain injuries, including post-concussion syndrome and second impact syndrome. While professional athletes receive monitoring for brain injuries, these practices are not consistently implemented in semi-professional, club, or junior competitions. It is crucial for sports organizations to establish reporting, monitoring, and exclusion protocols throughout all levels of competition, with a particular focus on junior sports.
Current concussion guidelines do not account for the sub-concussive injuries strongly associated with CTE. To safeguard young athletes from this debilitating disease, contact sports must reduce their exposure to brain trauma. Restricting contact in training and games for juniors could be an effective strategy to achieve this goal.
Some sports bodies have begun taking steps to address the issue. Australian Rules football imposes modified tackling rules until the age of 12, while the National Rugby League plans to ban tackling until halfway through under-7s competitions. The US Soccer Federation prohibits children under 11 from heading the ball, and the UK Football Association will trial a ban on deliberate heading before the age of 12, acknowledging the risks of repetitive low-grade brain trauma.
It is important to note that helmets do not fully protect young players from concussions or the risk of developing CTE, as evident in this study conducted in the United States, where football and ice hockey players wear helmets routinely.
In conclusion, this groundbreaking study highlights the early development of CTE in young athletes and supports prior research suggesting that junior contact sports may contribute to the disease’s origin. To protect players from neurodegenerative diseases like CTE, it is essential for sports organizations to reduce cumulative brain trauma exposure for all athletes, beginning at the junior level. In countries like Australia, where multiple football codes are popular among children, it is crucial to act swiftly in response to these findings.
