Australian researchers have diagnosed what is believed to be the first professional woman athlete with the degenerative brain disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), in what has been described as a landmark diagnosis that should be a “wake-up call” for women’s sport.
Scientists at the Sydney-based Australian Sports Brain Bank research centre said on Monday that they had identified low-stage CTE in the brain of former professional Australian Rules footballer Heather Anderson, who died in November 2022 at the age of 28.
The cause of death is subject to a coronial investigation but is suspected to be suicide.
CTE is caused by repeated knocks that can lead to the degeneration of brain tissue and an unusual buildup of a protein called tau. This can cause symptoms such as memory loss, confusion, impulse control problems, aggression, depression, impaired judgement and suicidal behaviour.
The brain disease is most prevalent in high-contact sports such as mixed martial arts (MMA), boxing, rugby, American football and Australian rules football. A recent study conducted in the United States that looked at 631 former American footballers’ brains found that 71 percent had suffered from CTE.
Only a small number of women globally have been diagnosed with CTE, which is caused by repeated impact to the head, and ASBB director Michael Buckland said none of them had been athletes.
Original from www.aljazeera.com