A new biomarker (CCL11) for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) has been discovered that may allow the disease to be diagnosed during life for the first time. The findings, which appear in the journal PLOS ONE, might also help distinguish CTE from Alzheimer's disease, which often presents with symptoms similar to CTE and also can only be diagnosed post-mortem. The ability to diagnose CTE in living individuals will allow for research into prevention and treatment of the disease.
Read the press release.
Cherry JD, Stein TD, Tripodis Y, Alvarez VE, Huber BR, et al. (2017) CCL11 is increased in the CNS in chronic traumatic encephalopathy but not in Alzheimer’s disease. PLOS ONE 12(9): e0185541. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0185541
Posted on BrainLine September 29, 2017.