When you\u2019re not feeling yourself, you hope your doctor can provide some answers. Maybe they can tell you what\u2019s wrong, why it\u2019s happening, and what can be done about it. Or, if they can\u2019t zero in on a diagnosis, perhaps tests\u2014blood work, scans, samples\u2014can help fill in the gaps.<\/p>\n
But what if a diagnosis never comes? What if you remain a medical mystery? For those worried that they might have chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative disease caused by\u00a0<\/span>repeated hits to the head<\/a>, a definitive resolution may remain out of reach.<\/p>\n CTE has become synonymous with collision-heavy sports like football and linked to a jumble of symptoms\u2014memory loss, confusion, aggression, poor impulse control, slow movement, and more\u2014but there is currently no way of diagnosing it in life. The only way to confirm if someone had the progressive disease is to examine their brain after death. That\u2019s not much consolation if you suspect you or a loved one is suffering with it today.<\/p>\n In an age when brain scans can help identify Alzheimer\u2019s disease, blood tests can spot cancer, and a clinical interview is all it takes to assess many psychiatric disorders, why does identifying CTE in the living remain so elusive?<\/p>\n\n\n
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