ABSTRACT
In 2005, Omalu et al. published a seminal paper describing the pathological evidence of what was termed “Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy” (CTE). This was described in a former NFL player who displayed a progressive mental decline with a myriad of cognitive, behavioral, and mood symptoms.1 Over the past decade, an eruption of inquiry and scrutiny has surrounded the entity of CTE including the diagnosis, cause, and potential link with those sports at high risk of repetitive head trauma. Though scientific literature has exposed a relationship between repetitive head trauma and CTE for over a decade, the National Football League publically acknowledged its existence in March of 2016, after many years of contesting the presented data.2 Unfortunately, our knowledge of this medical diagnosis remains incomplete, as there is limited prospective evidence to better evaluate its epidemiology. Due to the relatively small number of studied cases and conflicting results, the relationship between clinical symptoms and pathological disease burden continues to be highly debated.
