New Boston University study could help diagnose CTE before death

A new study out of Boston University could be a game changer in the battle against chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

Experts say the results could help diagnose the brain disorder earlier than once thought possible, which is a breakthrough for people who play high level contact sports.

The study revealed doctors might soon be able to diagnose the neurodegenerative disease in people who are alive, which is big because the only time we find out someone had CTE is after their death.

The study published this week, funded in part by the federal government, looked at 364 brains that had CTE and were donated to the Boston University UNITE Brain Bank. Roughly 90% were of American football players.

In the end, the study revealed that there's a clear relationship between the amount of CTE pathology — built up protein in specific regions of the brain — and the severity of a person's cognitive and behavioral symptoms during their life. In other words, there's a clear relationship between the amount of protein buildup and the severity of problems like memory loss and overall function.

A Boston University school of medicine professor said in part that "diagnosis is crucial before we can test therapies. With validated in-life diagnostic criteria, we will be able to design clinical trials for therapies."

The overall goal is to get people the help they need as soon as possible and the Boston University team hopes their latest findings are the first step toward that.