The warning signs are there. It isn’t yet possible to diagnose chronic traumatic encephalopathy—more widely known as CTE—in the living. Yet for many people, especially athletes, the fear is real.
In fact, 1 in 3 former NFL players say they believe they have the neurodegenerative disorder caused by multiple concussions or blows to the head, according to a study published on September 23. Among other symptoms, these players “were more likely to report low testosterone, depression, mood instability, pain, cognitive symptoms and more reported head injury.”
CTE develops over time, with symptoms usually starting in mid-life. It can develop in athletes who compete in contact sports, such as football, ice hockey, boxing, and mixed martial arts. It can also arise in people with a history of repeat head injuries, such as military personnel and victims of domestic violence.
Yet CTE can only be diagnosed after death by conducting an autopsy, which creates barriers for studying how it develops and what treatments might be effective.
Now researchers are starting to uncover some of the early signs and symptoms that are likely associated with CTE. In a recent study, published in the journal Neurology, researchers looked at a cohort of 130 professional fighters, including active and recently retired boxers and mixed martial artists.
Groundbreaking research
For the past six years, the middleweight boxer Austin “No Doubt” Trout has traveled annually to the Cleveland Clinic for a battery of tests—MRIs, memory and balance assessments, and bloodwork—all conducted as part of the Professional Athletes Brain Health Study.
Trout, who is one of hundreds of active and retired professional fighters enrolled in the study, participated to help his fellow fighters, and because he wants to understand the impact a professional boxing career has had on his brain health and his risk of developing CTE.
For Trout, who was raised by a single mother in Las Cruces, New Mexico, boxing has been a lifeline. In his early days, the sport offered him structure, community, and purpose, during a time when he desperately needed it. “I didn’t care about the cops, I didn’t care about my teachers, but I did care about not letting down my mom, and later on, my coach,” says Trout, age 39. “I needed that structure in my life.”
As Trout matured as an athlete, eventually becoming professional, boxing became a career. It allowed him to support his family and advance in the field. He won the World Boxing Association light middleweight title in 2011 and has competed against some of the biggest names in boxing, such as Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, Miguel Cotto, and Jermell Charlo.
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