Degenerative Brain Disease in Athletes Similar to That Found in Combat Veterans

Scientists studying a degenerative brain disease in athletes found the same condition in combat veterans who were exposed to roadside bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan. Their conclusion: Such explosions injure the brain in ways strikingly similar to tackles and punches.

The researchers also discovered what they think is the mechanism by which explosions damage brain tissue and trigger the wasting disease — chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) — by studying simulated explosions on mice. Just two weeks after exposure to a single simulated blast, the animals developed evidence of the disease, researchers discovered. For more information, click here to read the full release.