A Boston University study published Thursday detailed the strongest link yet that repetitive hits to the head — not just those that produce a concussion — can lead to the debilitating brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). The new research highlights the risks of younger athletes playing contact sports and could lead to questions about the effectiveness of current concussion protocols.
The study, published in the journal Brain, used two methods to come up with its findings: A postmortem examination of four teenaged brains and a study of mice that showed instant changes to the brain after trauma — even without telltale concussion symptoms.
