On July 28, 2025, a lethal taking pictures at a New York Metropolis workplace constructing—house to each the Nationwide Soccer League (NFL) headquarters and funding agency Blackstone—left 5 victims useless, together with the gunman, Shane Tamura. In a word left behind, Tamura blamed the NFL for his deteriorating psychological well being and requested that his mind be studied for persistent traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), the degenerative mind illness typically linked to repeated head trauma.
Though authorities confirmed Tamura had no skilled soccer expertise and no formal CTE prognosis on the time of the assault, the word reignited pressing questions in regards to the illness’s potential position in temper issues, cognitive decline and violent conduct. So, what precisely is CTE—and how will you acknowledge its early indicators or cut back your threat? Right here’s what to know.
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Indicators and signs of persistent traumatic encephalopathy—CTE
CTE is a mind illness that, in line with the Mayo Clinic, is “likely caused by repeated head injuries.”
It’s most typical in former soccer gamers, with a 2024 JAMA Neurology research claiming that “approximately 34% of former professional ASF [American-style football] players reported perceived CTE.”
Mayo Clinic added to that, saying that “It also may occur in military members who were exposed to explosive blasts.”
The most typical and recognizable signs for CTE embody shifts in temper, conduct and in some instances motor issues and psychotic signs, most of which happen after somebody suffers from a number of totally different head accidents. They seem in 4 levels, with the fourth one being when folks start to grow to be paranoid and have problem talking.
“[It] usually begins in small spots in the frontal lobes,” Dr. Anne McKee, the director of the CTE Middle at Boston College, informed CBS Information. “However over time, with getting old, it begins affecting widespread areas of the mind and may trigger profound reminiscence loss and even dementia.”
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Nevertheless, regardless of these easy-to-recognize signs, Mayo Clinic says, “CTE is rare and not well understood, but experts don’t believe it’s related to a single head injury.”
“Experts are still trying to understand how repeated head injuries and other factors might contribute to the changes in the brain that result in CTE,” the worldwide hospital chain continued. “Researchers are looking at how the number of head injuries someone experiences and how bad the injuries are may affect the risk of CTE. Experts also don’t yet know how often CTE occurs in the population.”
Like many neurodegenerative ailments, CTE can solely be definitively recognized after loss of life. In some instances, people experiencing unexplained temper shifts, paranoia or psychological misery have expressed concern over their mind well being earlier than taking drastic motion—together with requesting autopsy evaluation. Whereas troubling, these situations spotlight the pressing want for earlier detection and intervention.
“We have now seen people with CTE which have had substantial breaks with actuality,” Dr. McKee stated. “There’s precedence where a former football player has a break of homicidal violence, and this kind of behavior is obviously something we need to prevent.”
The right way to cut back your threat of CTE
In accordance with Mayo Clinic, CTE “can be prevented by lowering the risk of getting a concussion. People who have had one concussion are more likely to have another head injury. The current recommendation to prevent CTE is to reduce mild traumatic brain injuries and to prevent additional injury after a concussion.”
As of publication, there is no such thing as a remedy for CTE, however researchers are actively engaged on creating one. They’re additionally engaged on determining the way to diagnose the illness in a residing individual, since as of now, they will solely do it “by examining samples of a person’s brain with a microscope. But they can only do this during an autopsy after someone dies,” per the Cleveland Clinic.
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Regardless of that, although, the clinic does say that “Even though your provider can’t definitively diagnose CTE while you’re alive, they can still make an educated assumption. They’ll build a diagnosis using a few factors [such as] a physical exam, a neurological exam, the symptoms or changes you’re experiencing and your medical history—especially if you know you’ve had head injuries.”
If you happen to or somebody you recognize is battling psychological well being and/or suicidal ideas, name the Nationwide Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.
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