Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis identified a protein fragment in blood that identifies an advanced form of chronic traumatic encephalopathy. This protein, eMTBR-tau243, is elevated in Alzheimer’s disease and other brain diseases with toxic protein buildup, including CTE. I find the ability to distinguish advanced cases from healthy controls using a simple blood test highly promising for future clinical use.
The eMTBR-tau243 findings
Researchers tested blood from 11 people with CTE confirmed at autopsy. They found that eMTBR-tau243 levels were higher than in healthy people and rose with the severity of the brain disease. While the test distinguishes advanced CTE from healthy people with high accuracy, it could not reliably identify early-stage CTE. "We are potentially opening a new door for diagnosing and treating CTE in living patients," said Kanta Horie, the co-senior author of the study in JAMA Neurology.
The test has not yet been validated for diagnosing CTE. Chihiro Sato, who co-authored the study with Horie, said, "Our study shows that an Alzheimer’s disease biomarker can be applied to other tauopathies, including CTE." He added, "This is not going to be a standalone biomarker. But if someone has a history of repeated head injury, tests negative for Alzheimer’s and this biomarker comes up, it might be CTE."
Context of head trauma
CTE results from repeated head trauma in contact sports like American football and rugby. A recent study of nearly 400 NFL players whose brains were donated showed 93.5% had evidence of CTE. More than 350 NFL players, including Mike Webster, Junior Seau, and Frank Gifford, received diagnoses after death. Legal action continues from former rugby players like Steve Thompson, who has Traumatic Encephalopathy Syndrome. Earlier this year, the Professional Footballers’ Association recommended professionals should not head a ball more than 10 times a week in training.
