Study found CTE in up to 97.7% of dead former NFL players
Why it matters: Researchers estimated at least 1 in 4 former players who died from 2016 to 2021 had the degenerative brain disease.
A new BMJ study found chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, in a striking share of former NFL players who died in recent years. Researchers analyzed former players who died between 2016 and 2021 and estimated the minimum prevalence of CTE at 24.5%, with an upper estimate of 97.7%. Among 338 donated brains examined from a broader 2008-2021 sample, 315 showed evidence of CTE. The study also tied severe disease to cognitive decline: nearly 60% of brain donors had dementia, and 90.4% of those with stage IV CTE had dementia. Lead author Daniel Daneshvar urged stronger prevention steps to cut repeated head impacts across football.