Effects of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy and Head Injuries on Athletes
In this synthesis-based evidence paper, I reviewed findings from 17 different empirical articles from 2015 to 2023 to provide an overview of findings on the lasting effects of head injuries and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) on athletes. The term CTE was derived in 1940 from Bowman and Blau. They define CTE as a neurodegenerative condition that is thought to be partially brought on by repeated head trauma. The results from the peer-reviewed articles revealed the severity and far-reaching effects frequent head traumas can have. These traumatic brain injuries (TBI) affect the patient’s psychological and physiological states of mind. Findings between the articles showed similar lasting consequences of CTE across different athletes. Results revealed that high-contact sports, and in rare cases, low-contact sports, can result in lasting head trauma and potential neurocognitive impairments. Most researchers agreed that playing in a high-contact sport like football for long enough will eventually cause some sort of traumatic brain injury, or potentially CTE. Some limitations to the research on CTE and head injuries were that the results could not be generalized around the globe, studies on CTE are done postmortem, and there are no findings on the immediate effects of CTE. The development of techniques for diagnosing CTE during life, as well as additional research into the validity, precision, and practicality of the recently released diagnostic criteria for CTE, are imperative to address these, and other significant concerns for head trauma.
PSY 499, Senior Capstone
Erin Mueller
Womack 100
11 – 11:30 AM