Scientists Unveil ‘Real’ Drivers of CTE in Football

The largest study of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in football players to date has found that the risk of CTE is not driven by the number of diagnosed concussions, but rather by the cumulative number and intensity of head impacts. The study, utilizing a novel tool called a positional exposure matrix (PEM), suggests that reducing both the frequency and force of head impacts in practice and games could lower the odds of athletes developing CTE. Scientists from Mass General Brigham and