If you have been paying any attention to fairly recent headlines relating to sports, specifically football, you would have noticed that there has been a drastic increase in the amount of media attention that sports related concussions have been receiving. Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE, is the term that refers to the the accumulated damage of brain tissues in individuals who typically have been playing professional football for a long period of time (although it can still be found in young individuals who have not played as long). Players such as Aaron Hernandez, Junior Seau, and Bill Bryant were all found to have evidence of CTE in their post-mortem evaluation.

CTE occurs when there is a repeated trauma of the brain. Football is an incredibly contact oriented sport, which involves the smashing of helmets during the plays. Symptoms of CTE include, but are not limited to, suicidality, depression, anxiety, memory loss, aggression, and anger control problems. Unfortunately, it is impossible to diagnose before death. This means that many former players had their fate secured long before they were aware.

As I write this, I have an interview scheduled to be a research assistant in a sports concussion lab here at University Park. If I get the position, I will be very happy to be involved in research to better understand this horrible condition, and maybe even work with my peers to be able to diagnose it in living patients. From what I understand, the lab works closely with members of the football team. This means that I can potentially make a contribution to my immediate community. If I can contribute to saving just one singular life before they fall victim to CTE, I will feel accomplished with my work. Not satisfied, of course, but accomplished.