NEED TO KNOW
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The man who killed at least four people in a N.Y.C. office building shooting claimed in his suicide note to have chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)
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CTE is a rare and progressive degenerative brain disease that affects people who have suffered repeated concussions and traumatic brain injuries, typically associated with contact sports
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There is currently no cure for the disease and it can only be diagnosed after death in an autopsy
Shane Devon Tamura — the man who killed at least four people in a New York City office building — claimed in a suicide noted that he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) while slamming the NFL.
“Study my brain please,” Tamura, a former high-school football player, wrote in the note. “I’m sorry.”
CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, is a rare and progressive degenerative brain disease that affects people who have suffered repeated concussions and traumatic brain injuries, typically associated with those in military combat or contact sports like football and boxing.
According to the Mayo Clinic, it causes the death of nerve cells in the brain and the only way to definitely diagnose CTE is after death during an autopsy of the brain.
Symptoms of CTE include memory loss, aggression, confusion, depression, erratic behavior, suicidal tendencies, aggression, anxiety, difficulty with walking and balance, speech troubles, substance misuse and more. These symptoms typically develop over years or decades after the repeated head trauma.
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Doctor analyzing patients brain scan
There is no treatment or cure for CTE, and symptoms will continue to worsen over time.
There is no guaranteed way to prevent CTE; but measures can be taken to reduce the risk of developing it and prevent traumatic brain injuries. Wearing protective helmets during contact sports can lower the risk, however they cannot eliminate the occurrence of concussions.
Researchers have been trying to develop a test for CTE prior to death but there are currently no advances yet.
A study published in September 2024 found that approximately 34% of former professional football players believe they have CTE as they experienced health problems associated with it.
Another report published in 2023 by Boston University’s CTE Center found that 345 former professional football players were diagnosed with CTE, including former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Rick Arrington and former Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Ed Lothamer.
That report noted that while the “prevalence of CTE among NFL players is unknown,” “repetitive head impacts appear to be the chief risk factor for CTE.”
In 2017, a Boston University researcher conducted a study of the brains of 111 deceased NFL players and found that 110 of them had the disease. “It is no longer debatable whether or not there is a problem in football—there is a problem,” the researcher of the study, Dr. Ann McKee, told the New York Times.
Over the years, dozens of NFL players have been diagnosed with disease including Junior Seau, Terry Long, Tom McHale, Frank Gifford, Andre Waters and more.
Read the original article on People
