chronic traumatic encephalopathy

noun

: a progressive neurological disease that is found especially in athletes (such as boxers, wrestlers, or football players) who have experienced repetitive, mild injury to the brain and that is characterized by short-term memory loss, concentration deficits, confusion, depression, behavioral and personality changes (such as an increase in irritability, impulsivity, or aggression), speech and gait abnormalities, parkinsonism, and dementia

—abbreviation CTE

called also dementia pugilistica, punch-drunk syndrome

Note: The neurological deterioration of chronic traumatic encephalopathy is accompanied by atrophy of the frontal and temporal lobes and accumulation of tau protein in neurofibrillary tangles.

Examples of chronic traumatic encephalopathy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Neurologists now measure risk of developing a brain injury, including the progressive disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or C.T.E., not in terms of number of concussions sustained, but in terms of time involved in high-risk activities. —Dave Philipps, New York Times, 4 Jan. 2025

The special episode will reveal a chilling pattern of violence that began in Hernandez’s youth and carried throughout his football career and his affliction with a severe case of chronic traumatic encephalopathy. —Max Goldbart, Deadline, 5 Dec. 2024

Frequently Asked Questions What is the life expectancy of someone with chronic traumatic encephalopathy? —Janelle McSwiggin, Msn, Health, 29 Nov. 2024

And the worry about head injuries isn’t just about concussions, but about chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a neurodegenerative disease characterized by memory loss, cognitive problems, and mood disorders, among other things. —Christie Aschwanden, WIRED, 2 Oct. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

1957, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

chronic traumatic encephalopathy

noun

: a progressive neurological disease that is found especially in athletes (as boxers, wrestlers, or football players) who have experienced repetitive, typically minor injury (as concussion) to the brain and is characterized by short-term memory loss, concentration deficits, confusion, depression, behavioral and personality changes (such as an increase in irritability, impulsivity, or aggression), speech and gait abnormalities, parkinsonism, and dementia

—abbreviation CTE

called also dementia pugilistica, punch-drunk syndrome

Note: The neurological deterioration of chronic traumatic encephalopathy is accompanied by atrophy of the frontal and temporal lobes and accumulation of tau protein in neurofibrillary tangles.

… it is only in the past decade that scientists have identified the problem in American football players. They have also been able to identify, on autopsy, pathological markers for the disease, now called chronic traumatic encephalopathy …

—Jeffrey Bartholet, Scientific American

[Dr. Robert] Cantu said that symptoms of chronic traumatic encephalopathy include depression and erratic behavior, but he declined to speculate on any role the condition played in Benoit's final violent acts.

—Alan Schwarz, The New York Times