I’ve heard the term dementia pugilistica in the news recently in regards to some hockey and football players, but I really don’t know anything about it. Is this kind of brain damage a new phenomenon?
Dementia pugilistica, also known as boxer’s dementia, punch-drunk syndrome, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a form of neurodegenerative disease or dementia that can affect boxers, as well as athletes in other contact sports — such as football, hockey and wrestling — who suffer repeated concussions.
Deterioration in attention, concentration, and memory
Disorientation
Confusion
Headaches
Poor judgment
Vertigo
Eventually, the disease progresses to issues such as erratic behavior, memory loss, and finally progresses to a deterioration into full-on dementia including Parkinson’s like symptoms — speech difficulties, loss of motor control, and the like.
The cause
Apart from the answer “repeated blows to the head,” the truth is we still really don’t know that much about CTE, why some people are more susceptible to it, and how it progresses. There is still no definitive answer as to how many concussions are too many, how severe the concussions have to be, or even if some athletes are more “tolerant” and some or more “susceptible” to CTE and why. The fact that CTE can only be diagnosed posthumously slows the pace of study on the disease.
Unfortunately, the sports world is littered with the names of those who have suffered from this disease, particularly those involved in contact sports such as football, hockey, and of course, boxing.
Here are a few notable examples from several sports, with links to more information about their battles with CTE/dementia pugilistica:
Hockey
Reg Fleming — The first hockey player diagnosed with CTE, Fleming played professionally for 22 years.
Bob Probert — 16 year NHL veteran, died of heart failure in July 2010 at age 45.
Derek Boogaard — Played 6 years in the NHL as an enforcer, died in May 2011 of an accidental drug and alcohol overdose at age 28.
Football
Mike Webster — A four time Superbowl champion with the Pittsburgh Steelers, doctors estimated he suffered the equivalent of “25,000 automobile crashes” in over 25 years of playing football when his brain was examined after his death in 2002 — at the age of 50.
Andre Waters — After an 11 year career in the NFL, Waters committed suicide at the age of 44. Doctors say there’s little doubt his CTE contributed to his death — they say he had the brain of an 85 year old man and would have been totally incapacitated within 10 years.
Justin Strzelczyk — Played eight seasons with the Steelers as an offensive lineman and was killed in a car accident at the age of 36 while fleeing from police. No alcohol or drugs were found in his system — but his brain revealed the onset of CTE and likely contributed to his poor decision that lead to his death.
Boxing
Floyd Patterson — The youngest boxer ever to become the undisputed heavyweight champion, Patterson suffered greatly from dementia in his later years before passing away at age 71.
Jerry Quarry — One of the most popular boxers of all time, Quarry slipped slowly into dementia after his last fight in 1992, until he was unable to care for himself. As early as 1983 he tested shockingly poorly on cognitive tests. He passed away in 1999, at age 53.
Photos, from top: Andre Waters, Derek Boogaard, Mike Webster
A boot to the head
Symptoms of CTE include:
Eventually, the disease progresses to issues such as erratic behavior, memory loss, and finally progresses to a deterioration into full-on dementia including Parkinson’s like symptoms — speech difficulties, loss of motor control, and the like.
The cause
Apart from the answer “repeated blows to the head,” the truth is we still really don’t know that much about CTE, why some people are more susceptible to it, and how it progresses. There is still no definitive answer as to how many concussions are too many, how severe the concussions have to be, or even if some athletes are more “tolerant” and some or more “susceptible” to CTE and why. The fact that CTE can only be diagnosed posthumously slows the pace of study on the disease.
Research is still in the early stages, and Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy at Boston University currently has over 250 athletes on their brain donation registry, so that further investigation and tests can run in the future.
Notable cases
Unfortunately, the sports world is littered with the names of those who have suffered from this disease, particularly those involved in contact sports such as football, hockey, and of course, boxing.
Here are a few notable examples from several sports, with links to more information about their battles with CTE/dementia pugilistica:
Hockey
Football
Boxing
Photos, from top: Andre Waters, Derek Boogaard, Mike Webster
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