Welcome to Headstrong: a place to share my 20-year-old life with post-concussion syndrome (PCS). Here you'll find my stories, life hacks, and answers to (most) of your burning questions.
History of CTE
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) became a hot-button topic in the early 2000s after Dr. Bennet Omalu, a neuropathologist (define in sidebar), found the first confirmed case of CTE in an NFL player when he did an autopsy on Pittsburgh Steelers legend Mike Webster. CTE is not a new disease, nor is it simply an NFL problem. In fact, it was originally thought of as a boxer’s problem. In 1928, Dr. Harrison Martland coined the term “punch drunk” as a description for boxers who presented symptoms that Martland attributed to the head trauma they received as a result of their profession (1). This same mix of symptoms was also referred to in the literature as: ‘traumatic encephalopathy of pugilists’ (2), ‘dementia pugilistica’ (3), and several other names over the years. The name chronic traumatic encephalopathy was first used in 1949 by Dr. Macdonald Critchley, again referring to boxing (4). All of the uses were related to boxing and did not carry much weight in other sports -- until Mike Webster.
In 2005, Webster’s case opened the floodgates to widespread interest in and concern about the disease. This has led to much criticism and scrutinization of the National Football League (NFL) and their policies, a multimillion-dollar NFL player settlement, and a slew of further research. Among the most highly regarded labs and research teams is Dr. Robert Stern’s Boston University School of Medicine CTE Lab -- and I have based much of the information provided here on their significant publications. Dr. Stern is widely considered an expert and thought leader on the study of CTE and his collaboration with Dr. Anne McKee has been pivotal in furthering what we know about CTE.
Definitions:
Neuropathologist: a doctor who studies diseases of the brain and nervous system.
Pugilists: synonym for boxer.
Sources:
1) Martland, H. S. (1928). Punch Drunk. Journal of the American Medical Association, 91(15),1103-1107. doi:10.1001/jama.1928.02700150029009
2) Parker, H. L. (1934). Traumatic Encephalopathy (`Punch Drunk) of Professional Pugilists.Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, S1-15(57), 20-28. doi:10.1136/jnnp.s1-15.57.20
3) Millspaugh, J. A. (1937). Dementia pugilistica. US Naval Med Bulletin, 35, 297-361.
4) Critchley, M. (1949). Punch-Drunk Syndromes: The Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy of Boxers. Maloin.