New Research May Allow Diagnosis of CTE in Living People

Guest: Robert Stern, Co-Founder and Director of Clinical Research, Boston University CTE Center Repeated head trauma ranging from full-blown concussions to the constant rattling of the brain inside the skull that can happen during impact sports, is believed to be the culprit in a disease called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy–or CTE. It was first diagnosed in a former NFL player 17 years ago and over 100 athletes, military veterans and victims of abuse have been diagnosed with it since. But the problem is, doctors can only diagnose CTE by cutting open a person’s brain after they’ve died.