Episode 54: Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) | Advocacy And Prevention, Part 2

This Medical Life

In Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) Part 1, we learned that CTE is a neurodegenerative disease caused by repetitive cumulative brain injury. Patients suffer from debilitating mental health symptoms and may even have suicidal thoughts or actions. Unfortunately, there is no treatment for this disease and it can only be official diagnosed at autopsy (after death). The only successful strategy to combat this illness is prevention.

Unfortunately, this is an ongoing challenge as there is a lot we don’t know about CTE but some features are clear. The largest risk factor for CTE is the duration of time participating in contact sport. In order to prevent CTE, the aim is to reduce life time exposure to repeated head impacts (either direct or indirect ie. significant acceleration and deceleration injuries). We also delve into grass-roots education aimed at informing school-aged children about concussion and brain health.

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** Please note: General Practitioners in Australia, will be able to claim 2.25 CPD points after listening to this episode and part 1. Full details and registration on our GP CPD Points page.

Our special guests:

Amanda Green – wife to National Rugby League legend player and coach Paul Green who played 162 first-grade games and represented Australia. At the end of 2022, Paul was found unresponsive in his home. Paul’s brain was donated to the Australian Sporting Brain Bank for examination where he was diagnosed with CTE. Paul was 49 years old.

Associate Professor Michael Buckland – Head of the Neuropathology department at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, founder and director of the Australian Sports Brain Bank (ASBB), co-director of the Multiple Sclerosis Australian Brain Bank, and Head of the Molecular Neuropathology Program at the Brain & Mind Centre.

Doctor Stephanie Adams – Honorary Fellow in Sports & Brain Health at the University of Edinburgh. She is founder and director of ConcussEd which is an education program for school-aged children to learn about brain health. She is a retired rugby and equestrian athlete.

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify. Help support us at https://www.patreon.com/ThisMedicalLife

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Chapters

1. Episode 54: Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) | Advocacy And Prevention, Part 2 (00:00:00)

2. Act One (00:00:30)

3. Act Two (00:11:10)

4. Act Three (00:24:37)