The Science of CTE: Have We Rejected the Null Hypothesis?

By William B. Barr, Ph.D., ABPP, Associate Professor of Neurology & Psychiatry, NYU School of Medicine.   Media reporting on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) continues on a nearly daily basis, perpetuating a narrative that individuals competing in contact sports are destined to develop a distinct pattern of neurodegeneration and associated behaviors resulting from repetitive blows to the head. While the media reporting has been successful in capturing the public’s attention, most me