| Title | Flortaucipir tau PET findings from former professional and college American football players in the DIAGNOSE CTE research project. |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2024 |
| Authors | Su, Y, Protas, H, Luo, J, Chen, K, Alosco, ML, Adler, CH, Balcer, LJ, Bernick, C, Au, R, Banks, SJ, Barr, WB, Coleman, MJ, Dodick, DW, Katz, DI, Marek, KL, McClean, MD, McKee, AC, Mez, J, Daneshvar, DH, Palmisano, JN, Peskind, ER, Turner, RW, Wethe, JV, Rabinovici, G, Johnson, K, Tripodis, Y, Cummings, JL, Shenton, ME, Stern, RA, Reiman, EM |
| Corporate Authors | |
| Journal | Alzheimers Dement |
| Volume | 20 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pagination | 1827-1838 |
| Date Published | 2024 Mar |
| ISSN | 1552-5279 |
| Keywords | Brain Injuries, Traumatic, Carbolines, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, Football, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Positron-Emission Tomography, tau Proteins |
| Abstract | INTRODUCTION: Tau is a key pathology in chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Here, we report our findings in tau positron emission tomography (PET) measurements from the DIAGNOSE CTE Research Project. METHOD: We compare flortaucipir PET measures from 104 former professional players (PRO), 58 former college football players (COL), and 56 same-age men without exposure to repetitive head impacts (RHI) or traumatic brain injury (unexposed [UE]); characterize their associations with RHI exposure; and compare players who did or did not meet diagnostic criteria for traumatic encephalopathy syndrome (TES). RESULTS: Significantly elevated flortaucipir uptake was observed in former football players (PRO+COL) in prespecified regions (p < 0.05). Association between regional flortaucipir uptake and estimated cumulative head impact exposure was only observed in the superior frontal region in former players over 60 years old. Flortaucipir PET was not able to differentiate TES groups. DISCUSSION: Additional studies are needed to further understand tau pathology in CTE and other individuals with a history of RHI. |
| DOI | 10.1002/alz.13602 |
| Alternate Journal | Alzheimers Dement |
| PubMed ID | 38134231 |
| PubMed Central ID | PMC10984430 |
| Grant List | U01 NS093334 / NS / NINDS NIH HHS / United States P20 GM109025 / GM / NIGMS NIH HHS / United States RF1 AG062348 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States P30 AG072978 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States P30 AG072980 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States P30 AG062429 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States |
