First professional athlete diagnosed with CTE – this is behind brain disease

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Heather Anderson († 28): First professional athlete diagnosed with CTE – that’s behind the brain disease

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Australian football player Heather Anderson suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). That was the result of the autopsy of her brain. Also known as “Boxer’s disease”, the brain disease is considered incurable and can cause severe cognitive, motor and psychological problems. Athletes are particularly at risk from the disease.

Trigger warning: The following text deals with the subject of suicide. If you need help, please contact the telephone counseling service immediately on 0800-1110111 or 0800-1110222 (both free of charge). There are further offers of help for those affected and their relatives at the Deutsche Depressionshilfe (German Depression Aid).

Her trademark was the pink helmet. She hates everything pink and girly, Heather Anderson once explained in an interview, but her visually impaired mother can see her better on the field. Anderson has played football since she was five, including some time in the Australian professional league. She resigned after suffering a shoulder injury. Five years later, in November 2022, the young woman took her own life.

It has now been revealed that Anderson suffered from CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy). She is the first professional athlete in the world to be diagnosed with the disease, the investigating scientists report to The Conversation.

CTE – cause and origin

CTE is a neurodegenerative (= progressive loss of nerve cells) disease. These include Alzheimer’s, dementia and Parkinson’s.

The main triggers for CTE are repeated (even minor) head injuries over a long period of time. Athletes who play contact sports, which regularly involve hits or falls, are particularly at risk. Classic examples include boxing, American football, rugby and ice hockey.

Specifically, the following happens with a head injury: The brain is pressed against the skull bones, damaging the sensitive extensions of the nerve cells (axons) in the brain. As a result of this damage, so-called tau proteins are released and harmful clumping occurs. These tau deposits, which are also typical for dementia patients, in turn set in motion a process that can lead to the gradual death of the nerve cells.

The causes have not yet been fully clarified. It is still unclear why some people develop CTE and others do not, despite frequent head injuries. research is ongoing.

CTE – these are the symptoms

It can take years for the first symptoms of CTE to appear. The course and symptoms can also be very different. According to the technical report, Anderson suffered from an early and therefore milder form of CTE.

According to “German Alzheimer Research”, four phases can be roughly distinguished:

Phase 1: Mild memory and attention problems, headaches and mild depressive moods.
Phase 2: Strong mood outbursts, behavioral problems and severe depressive symptoms.
Phase 3: Cognitive problems increase significantly. Other symptoms also occur, such as deterioration in short-term memory, problems with planning, organizing and acting, disturbances in visual and spatial perception, and apathy.
Phase 4: Severe dementia symptoms and memory loss occur. The motor deficits also increase. Patients show speech disorders and psychotic symptoms including paranoia.

The disease cannot be cured. Only the symptoms, such as depression, can be treated with medication.

Diagnosis is also difficult. There is no bio-marker that clearly proves the disease. Only after death can the changes in the brain be determined beyond doubt by an autopsy.

Anderson’s parents donated their daughter’s brain to a CTE research foundation after the autopsy. “She is the first athlete ever to be diagnosed with CTE,” said the investigating scientists. “But she certainly won’t be the last.”

Tragic: Several suicide cases in professional athletes with CTE

Unfortunately, that is to be expected. There are already a number of people affected in male professional athletes. Boston University’s CTE Center examined the brains of deceased NFL players – and diagnosed CTE in 345 of 376. This corresponds to a rate of 91.7 percent.

Particularly tragic: Again and again there are reports of professional athletes suffering from CTE and subsequently committing suicide. In addition to the above-mentioned symptoms, some of which are serious, the disease is also considered to be very personality-changing.

Doctors and experts have long been warning of the dangers and are calling for stricter rules to avoid head injuries and the associated risks.