CTE ruins lives but can’t be confirmed until you’re dead. Canadian scientists are trying to change that
Canadian researchers are conducting a study to diagnose chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in living patients using advanced brain imaging. Currently, the disease can only be confirmed post-mortem, but this research aims to identify markers that could allow for early intervention and treatment.
Why it matters
Developing a way to diagnose CTE in living patients would be a medical breakthrough for athletes and military veterans suffering from long-term brain trauma.
Brendan Hynes is fitted for a mesh mask to stabilize his head before a brain scan at Toronto's Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Hynes has suspected chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, and is taking part in a study to — for the first time — diagnose the disease in living patients. (Evan Mitsui/CBC - image credit) Dressed in a hospital gown, Brendan Hynes lies flat on his back inside an MRI machine in the basement research lab of Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. A technician reminds him to stay perfectly still and lets him know the hour-long scan is about to get started.
The article focuses on medical research and human interest without political or social bias.
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