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What CTE Looks Like in the Brain
The vast bulk of brains donated to science by former football game players show signs of the debilitating brain condition chronic traumatic brain disease , or CTE , a new report says . [ Read ourfull storyon the report . ]
CTE is a progressive disease that has been find in athletes such as football players and pugilist , who have a chronicle of repetitive blows to the head .
Here , the top two ikon show a normal brain . The bottom two look-alike show the brain of former University of Texas football player Greg Ploetz , who die with dementedness at geezerhood 66 , in 2015 .
Ploetz ’s psyche unveil that he had severe inveterate traumatic brain disorder , the researchers said . His mental capacity showed atrophy ( shrinking ) , and the nous ’s ventricles ( the openings in the brain ) were larger than normal .
Staining Reveals Tau Protein
The images in the top words here show a normal brain ; the figure in the bottom row are of the head of former football player Greg Ploetz , who had severe CTE . The brown color in Ploetz ’s brain is the result of a filth that the research worker used to reveal a protein called tau , which is linked with neuron degeneration . Ploetz ’s mind shows dumb tau .
Tau Protein Amid the Brain Cells
These images show austere CTE in the brain of former University of Texas football game player Greg Ploetz . The brown stain bring out the presence of a protein call tau , which is linked with nerve cell decadency . The bottom image here show a microscopic view , revealing the dark - stained tau protein amid the neuron and astrocytes ( star - shaped electric cell ) of the brain .
Mild and Severe Cases
The images here show sections of brain hemispheres . From left to right , the look-alike divulge the difference between a normal mental capacity , the brain of someone with soft CTE , and the mind of someone with grave CTE . The brown grease that was used here let on the comportment of a protein called tau . The normal brain ( left ) has no obvious sign of tau , the brain of someone with mild CTE ( core ) shows the front of some tau , and the brain of someone with grave CTE ( right ) reveals sections with laboured level of tau .
Under the Microscope
These images show what the brain tissue paper wait like under the microscope . From left to right , they show a normal brain , the head of a person with mild CTE , and the brain of a person with severe CTE . The tau protein in the brain is stained , disclose the “ tangles ” of neuron fibre .
