Could Contact Sports Raise Risks for a Parkinson's-like Disorder?

Repeat head injuries can trigger a form of brain damage known as CTE in athletes Now, new research reveals how CTE can raise the odds for a movement disorder called parkinsonism Parkinsonism shares some of the symptoms of Parkinson's disease, but its origins in the brain differ WEDNESDAY, July 17, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Autopsies of deceased boxers and pro football players have long confirmed that repeat head injuries can lead to a devastating brain condition known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Now, research supports the notion that contact sports can also raise the odds for a Parkinson's-like disease, called parkinsonism, in athletes already affected by CTE. In the new study, "subjects with parkinsonism were more likely to have more severe CTE-related brain cell death in a region of the brainstem important for controlling movement," noted study lead author Dr.

Thor Stein . He's an associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at Boston University. The study involved postmortem examination of the brains of 481 deceased athletes.

It was published July 15 in the journal JAMA Neurology . As the researchers described it, parkinsonism carries some of the hallmarks of classic Parkinson's disease -- tremor, slowed movements, abnormal stiffness in the limbs. The two conditions differ, however, in how they manifest in brain tissue.

People with Parkinson's disease typically show a buildup of proteins called Lewy bodies in their brain cells, but the new researc.