The researchers studied the brains of deceased individuals exposed to RHI through contact sports or military service, 294 of whom developed CTE and 70 of whom did not. They then analyzed their neurological findings based on their\u00a0APOE\u00a0<\/em>status and found that APOE<\/em>\u03b54 carriers were 2.34 times more likely to have more severe CTE than those without. More severe CTE was determined by both CTE Stage (I through IV) and a quantitative analysis of abnormal\u00a0tau\u00a0<\/em>protein burden.<\/p>\n \u201cOur research team has shown that among football players, an individual\u2019s odds of developing a more severe stage of CTE double every additional 4.4 years of play. Specifically, for football players over age 65, having\u00a0APOE<\/em>\u03b54 had an effect on CTE severity equivalent to playing an additional seven years of football, meaning it more than doubled risk,\u201d says Mez.<\/p>\n According to the researchers, these findings provide insight into how CTE progresses, which may provide new targets for developing treatments to slow or stop CTE progression.<\/p>\n![\"Headshot](\"\/camed\/files\/2015\/06\/Jesse-Mez-2.jpg\")
\u201cThis study provides the most concrete evidence to date that APOE<\/em>\u03b54 is a risk factor for CTE-related pathological and clinical outcomes. Understanding genetic underpinnings of CTE pathology may provide insights into disease mechanism and offers a precision medicine approach to harm reduction, including guiding decisions regarding contact sport play and providing a target for therapies,\u201d explains corresponding author Jesse Mez, MD, MS, director of the BU Alzheimer\u2019s Disease Research Center Clinical Core and a BU CTE Center investigator.<\/p>\n