What Is CTE?
January 14, 2025 | Sagi Shaked | Brain Injuries

The human body is fragile, and trauma to the head can be particularly harmful. Car accidents, sports injuries, and incidents in the workplace that impact the head or face could lead to a traumatic brain injury (TBI), like concussion, hematoma, lacerations, and more.
However, when you suffer repeated head injuries, you could develop chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a condition characterized by nerve degeneration or death. What are the symptoms and causes of CTE? How is it diagnosed and treated? What can you do if another person or entity is at fault for your condition?
Symptoms of CTE
CTE is a type of TBI that can cause a range of symptoms, including:
- Impaired motor function
- Cognitive impairment
- Behavioral issues
- Mood disorders
Patients may lose muscle coordination and suffer balance issues, shaking, and difficulty walking. Over time, they can lose the ability to walk, speak, swallow, and even breathe. Cognitive abilities might also decline, resulting in memory loss and difficulty concentrating, planning, and organizing.
Changes in behavior, including impulsive, erratic, or aggressive behavior, may occur. Those with CTE can also develop mood disorders, such as emotional instability, depression, and suicidal thoughts and ideations.
Unfortunately, CTE is a progressive condition, which means symptoms will worsen over time. Often, symptoms don’t appear immediately after a head trauma but begin to show up after several head injuries and develop over several years or even decades.
Causes of CTE
The specific cause of CTE is unknown, but it has been closely linked to repeated head trauma. It is most commonly found in athletes like boxers and people who play contact sports, such as American football, rugby, hockey, and lacrosse.
It may also affect members of the military who have been exposed to multiple blasts or other impacts and victims of domestic abuse who have experienced repeated blows to the head. It could be linked to workplace accidents, as well.
Research has pinpointed the presence of tau in the brain tissue of patients with CTE. This protein accumulates around blood vessels in the brain and is also found in patients with conditions like Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, although it is distinctive in cases of CTE. The actual cause of CTE is atrophy, characterized by the disruption or death of nerve cells that facilitate communication between cells.
Diagnosis and Treatment of CTE
Definitive diagnosis of CTE is only possible after death, with an autopsy. Often, the condition is misdiagnosed because symptoms may look like a variety of other conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease, ALS, dementia, or Alzheimer’s disease.
However, the occurrence of repeated head trauma, especially early in life, can be an indication of CTE. Medical history, paired with brain imaging, neurological exams, and ruling out other conditions, is the primary form of diagnosis for living patients.
CTE is considered a catastrophic injury because the brain damage that results is irreversible. There is no cure for CTE, but certain medications could help to alleviate some symptoms.
Fighting For Compensation For CTE
Because there is no definitive diagnosis for living patients with CTE, it can be difficult to seek compensation for damages. Even so, there are certain cases where a claim may apply. If a patient was misdiagnosed with another condition, for example, it could constitute medical malpractice or wrongful death.
Veterans and active service members may qualify for benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Athletes may also have a claim. The NFL famously settled a case with players to compensate those who developed dementia and other brain diseases resulting from concussions.
Fighting for compensation for CTE is complicated. The best place to start is by speaking with a qualified attorney to better understand your legal options.
Contact Our Personal Injury Law Firm in Miami, FL
If you’ve been injured in an accident in Miami, FL and need legal help, contact our Miami personal injury lawyers at Shaked Law Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation.
Shaked Law Personal Injury Lawyers
20900 NE 30th Ave Suite 715
Aventura, FL 33180
(305) 937-0191