Hello, I'm Koelle and I'm Kenna. Welcome to diagnosing a killer the mental breakdown
There's only so many ways we can go. Yeah, yeah
Mental breakdown mental breakdown
mental breakdown
Oh my gosh, we should put like a little song
We come up with a song every time though. That's true, but like a set song
Hi
Welcome back to diagnosing a killer mental breakdown and today we're gonna be talking about something that I don't know
I don't know how to start this. Well, what is your okay?
So you have a new mental breakdown for us today and oh my god
I don't know what it is, which is really weird because I usually don't know what it is
before we start
That's a lie
So I'm I wanted to talk about something that I feel like is
something that is
newer in
Talking about certain diagnoses and really this is a mental diet or a medical diagnosis. Okay, it's a mental diagnosis
So medical breakdown medical breakdown, but it is something that does affect the brain and it is something that can cause
Certain disorders as well. So we're gonna be talking about CTE
CTE chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Yeah, that sounds right. It's a neurodegenerative
syndrome that has been connected to serious symptoms including depression
aggression and suicidal behavior. Oh, wow, so
CTE has been talked about a lot recently and we'll get into why
but it is formerly believed to be manifested in
Boxers originally so and I think this is like at the 19 we always say it's not the 1930s
But in the 1930s late 1930s
It was known as punch drunk
So CTE affects the brain of people who have suffered repeated concussions and traumatic brain injuries
Most commonly found in athletes and the athletes
specifically who take part in contact sports like football like football. Yeah
but it can also affect members of the military, okay, it makes sense and
Actually domestic violence situations as well also makes sense
So the term encephalopathy derives from the ancient Greek words in as an in ion
And then the other parts are kate kable which would mean head and pathia which is suffering
CTE is usually characterized in stages and it's stages that are not
Completely uncommon with things like dementia and actually Alzheimer's
So stage one so it's like stages are the severity so there's stage one moderate to stage three and stage four
so in stage one
Symptoms may manifest in reoccurring headaches loss of concentration and loss of attention or focus
Some individuals actually experience short term memory loss depression aggression and explosivity. That's mild. That's my that's the first
stage yeah stage two and some of these are
Again, this is list of severity. So it's stage one
Explosivity, but it might it might just be might be contained. It might not necessarily be outward aggression, but
Um, anyways stage two comes with depression mood swings headaches and short term memory loss
Some people may experience impulsivity suicidal thoughts and some language issues
Like slurred speech. Yeah stage three is the most prevalent
One in stage three is gonna be a memory loss
executive dysfunction meaning like your
brain your cognitive reasoning. Yeah
Explosivity, visio spacial difficulties meaning like vertigo
No, what you're what you're what you're visualizing what you're seeing. So like colors might be off, huh? Things like depth perception
Yeah, are gonna be those are gonna come with those difficulties
I feel like that would give me vertigo though, right?
Probably not being able to balance yourself an apathy 75% of people in stage three are considered to be cognitively impaired
Wow, that's not even the most severe one. It's most severe one at stage four
Geez the most severe cases and they are prognosed to have full-blown dementia at this point
They have profound loss of attention. They have paranoia depression
Most all other symptoms can develop
From the other stages in this one in severe ways so it can actually develop into Parkinson's and ism as well
So most commonly this is found in
Mild head trauma that is repeated over a long period of time and in many cases these are found in contact sport players like we said earlier
Most commonly in football hockey and rugby
Just to name a few other people who suffer from this condition again
Like I said would be military personnel who have experienced certain types of combat
Also in domestic violence cases where someone's been hit in the head repeatedly
Unfortunately, there's no confirmed amount of time or duration of trauma that one could or would have to endure in order to
Lead to the development of CTE
There's a reason for that the scientific community has said though that they believe it takes years to develop
Okay, that's what I was gonna ask so it doesn't happen right away
Right, it is something that develops in your brain. So currently little is actively known about CTE as CTE
Diagnosis are made only at autopsy
Wow, it's the same thing as Alzheimer's you can't
1000% say someone that is living has Alzheimer's or is suffering from it
You can only be sure once they do the symptoms and looked at their brain, right? And you can only study the symptoms. So
Yeah, so CTE is only diagnosed by making by having an autopsy done postmortem
And it's in certain sections of the brain that you can see the deterioration. Yeah, because you can't see that on scans
Yeah, so the brain of an individual who suffers from CTE gradually deteriorates and
It over time and it ends up losing brain mass and if you can actually look up
pictures of you know, the brain scans that not brain scans but pictures of people's brains postmortem in
Comparison to someone who has a healthy brain and it's it's usually right in that frontal area
Well, that makes sense and there's there's it's literally just missing like there's missing it just deteriorates
Well, if you think about it the frontal lobe is very of course very imperative
but these symptoms almost kind of mimic like
Adolescent, you know preteen teenager thing they kind of not mimic
But they're kind of similar which makes sense because the frontal lobes not fully developed here on the kids side
And then it's deteriorating over here, right?
So signs of CTE are also signs for other neurological disorders like Alzheimer's the dementia which I mentioned earlier
There are no distinct biomarkers that are related to CTE either
So it's really difficult to diagnose a patient while it's they're alive. So like they can't take a blood sample
They can't take a urine test. They can't do it. None of these things actually show
Yeah, you know that oh, yep. Oh, there it is. You have CTE. So there's no biomarkers
So concussions don't result in brain bleeds typically and so therefore you can't see them on CTs or MRIs
So although technology is advancing now to be able to detect certain signs of CTE on MRIs and
DTIs
It has been a really slow progress because technology just hasn't advanced yet to show definitive proof of CTE on film
So there is however a
protein that's been discovered that will actually
Attach to a tracer that is the tracer is consistent with degenerative disorders like Alzheimer's dementia and various other conditions
But more testing needs to be done to determine if it's possible if this is a possible biomarker for future confirmation of CTE and life patients
So yeah, like I said, basically it's like a specific protein that is higher
when you have
Certain traumas to the brain. Oh, I see what you're saying
I thought you were talking about as like a treatment because I was thinking because CBD is a
Testing or kind of in the works of becoming maybe a treatment or maybe just like a helped about the symptoms for
Parkinson's or Alzheimer's or dementia because it actually has chemicals that bind those receptors back together
Rather than because they're apart. That's one of the big issues
Why but I thought that's what you were saying, but you're saying it's it's protein indicates that it's happening that right?
So these specific tracers it's like a
Floridine or something and it's it's a specific trace. It's something that happens to the brain
When it's experienced this type of trauma and so what they can do is they can
Base it essentially give the body of this protein the protein then it connects to that tracer
Which is a binder I see and then test results will tell them. Oh the binder, you know, this has
You know been connected somehow and so they say, okay now we can read on a piece of paper that this
Specific tracer is in the blood or in the body. Yeah, and so but it's not
Always the case. Yeah, they can't it hasn't been confirmed that that happens a hundred percent of the time
Yeah, of course
So it's interesting possible but again technology has to advance science has to advance in order for them to kind of hone in on something
That they'll come up with an actual test for yeah
So studies have also seen that a possible cause for CTE is actually an autoimmune response to head trauma
So studies have also seen that there is a possible cause for CTE and it is an autoimmune response to head trauma
So when the blood barriers in the brain are actually broken in more severe head trauma cases
The body actually attacks itself to repair itself much like a cut or anything like that, right? So when the blood
This is such I was I was laughing last night because this is such a
Illiteration so the body actually attacks itself to repair the blood barrier of the brain
So there are a greater number of antibodies during the breaks of the plane
brain blood barrier and in this case of
Concussions especially when that happens the auto antibodies are elevated. So yeah, so
That's another way to kind of test
But the thing is is that in concussions the brain doesn't bleed
So it's gonna be elevated, but they're not gonna be as high
If you know, it's just a bruise if it's just a bruise or yeah exactly
So clearly we know that the supposed cause is repeated head trauma
So the only thing that we can do about it is wear a helmet, you know
We're a helmet when you ride a bike wear a helmet when you have contact sports
But that even that isn't 100% successful. No, of course not things like that if you must play them
Currently, there's no cure that exists for CTE since we really don't know a true testing method for it
The only treatment with this is time and medications that are similar to those with dementia
Which is really unfortunate because a lot of these people are young. Yeah, of course
So there's no known population of patients with CTE at this point because there's no way to test
However, the rates of the disease are about 30% in patients with a recurrent head trauma
So the highest number of cases that have ever been reported are actually in football players that have played beyond high school
Okay, so that's when I get to more people are grown and they're not just say you're not grown in high school
But people are but more professional of course they have more experience with the sport
They're bigger so they can do more damage, you know, yeah, it's more
Kind of pressing in order to become a professional is to be good at tackling
You know being good at body slams or whatever they do. So 9% of all athletes all athletes
Have evidence of CTE. Wow
3% is the rest of the population
Wow that are non athletic or not not not not that athletic but people that don't play contact sports
It's just intense. Yeah, so
99% of
Tested NFL players have signs of CTE after death
There has only been 111 brains of NFL players that have ever been tested and out of 111
110 show signs of CTE. Oh my gosh, that's compelling. It's
Incredible it is almost a hundred percent. Yeah
It's wow. Yeah, it's a lot
Yeah, I mean, there's not one position that you play in football that you're not gonna come in contact with someone, right?
Absolutely, and then I mean you can go on Wikipedia and look at the people that are
That have been tested for the most part
There are there was recently was it I think it was 2013 or 2014 the NFL actually settled with over
4000
NFL players who said that they had suffered from CTE and they did they just did a
Complete payout they did a settlement with over
4000 NFL players
Like it's incredible
So again with all this talk these symptoms of CTE are usually recognized as aggression or depression and living patients
And I'm just gonna talk a little bit about
Some very famous cases of CTE
Legends such as Jimmy snooker
He's a was a professional wrestler and he was thought to have CTE after he actually murdered his longtime girlfriend Nancy Argentina
Oh my gosh, he was later found unable to participate in his own defense due to his his advanced stage of dementia
Wow, Kellen Winslow the second he was he was a professional football player who mostly played for the Cleveland Browns
he was likely to
Have a decreasing mental state as he would go on to be convicted for such crimes as burglary
Lude conduct battery of an elder and sexual assault. Oh my gosh
Chris Benoit who was another professional wrestler with symptoms of CTE before
He actually murdered his son and his wife. Oh my god, and he took his own life as well
He was confirmed post-mortem to have extensive damage to his brain due to multiple concussions
Wow, and he was actually I mean again, they can't confirm it until after death
Yeah, but he showed many symptoms of CTE and was pretty much as close to a diagnosis as you can without
studying his brain
The list goes on and on honestly and there's actually people who
football players NFL players
Who claimed to this day that they have to have CTE or they have symptoms of CTE?
This includes OJ Simpson and Brett favre as well
Big big time names and OJ Simpson was talking about it recently too. He's like
He's like I know I have CTE. There's no way and he's been convicted of
Grand larceny and things like that as well. So of course, I know a lot of people know
Some things about Aaron Hernandez, but he died at 27 and the last brain that was actually observed with CTE before
Aaron Hernandez's brain was actually 46 years old
Oh, wow
So they gained a lot of insight into even at a young age what CTE can look like
And of course did he kill himself? So Aaron Hernandez was of course the professional football player who?
He had gotten in tons of legal trouble before he was ultimately convicted of murder
His record includes bar fights shootings assaults and then even suspected killings before he was actually convicted of murder
And he did take his own life and his cell. Yeah
It's really honestly an epidemic that nobody really talks about and it's a super serious condition
And it's honestly the most unfortunate part is that it's completely preventable
Of course and honestly like now like flag football is actually on the rise due to safety concerns
But over 1 million kids today from ages 6 to 12 still play tackle football. Yeah 6 to 12. They're babies
Yeah, they have baby brains and they're taking on all this damage and it's just scary
It's scary that you can develop things like aggression depression suicidal thoughts
Just violent tendencies from playing a sport that you love from playing a sport that you love and especially for young adults who
Throw themselves into sports instead of doing extracurricular activities
elsewhere, you know not in school and
You know for a lot of these kids they feel like you know, this is something that they can do
They can use their bodies to go to college and make something of themselves and provide for their families
Yeah, and they're sacrificing their mental health for it and it's and it's well
It's not even I mean football is of course one of the biggest examples, but this can happen
And cheerleading this can happen in diving if you hit your head on the yeah swimming
Like I hit my head so hard one time during a swim meet because I was too close to the wall
I didn't know and like it can happen in any even tennis, you know
I mean if you get hit in the head with the racket or a ball like anything, you know, it's
It's the statistics are out there as well football had the 99%
Then it was like rugby I think was like 81 or you know and so on and so forth
And they do have those statistics out there
Yeah for people like even baseball was like 11% you know make sense if you get hit with the ball
Yeah, you get if you fall when you're running or yeah crazy
It is it's incredible and uh, but again I in my opinion completely preventable
Of course, but are we gonna cease playing sports? No of the wrist. No not at all. No one is not no one is but
It's well, that's the thing. I mean the NFL makes billions of dollars. I mean they make it the Super Bowl is the most highly televised
Events every year like it's it's not gonna go away
Yeah
The only thing that we would hope is that there is some
Limit, you know if we have a testing process if we have these biomarkers if we have
A way to be able to be like okay this person, you know needs to retire earlier than anticipated or whatever this person needs to take care of themselves
Or or whatever or maybe you know we come up with more safety things
I don't know what else you could do besides putting a giant helmet and giant pads all over you know
230 pound man, but you know it is what it is like
it's just
Yeah, it's just one of those things. It's like it's gonna keep happening and it's it's probably unfortunately gonna happen
And it's never gonna slow. You know
But it is important to talk about and it is important to note. I mean
even with
the cases that you just mentioned like
this diagnosis can
Can lead to violent tendencies violent behaviors, you know, and if that's gonna prevent
I mean even just the knowledge of having it can even prevent those things
You know even the knowledge of saying, okay, I do struggle with cte and I am you know living with this diagnosis
Now that I know that I can kind of keep it at bay and and you know
At least try to treat it so that this doesn't happen and I don't end up committing a violent
Right, so I know the you know we talked about
Alexander Lewis rain well, was it?
um that you know in his case it was like
It's a very it was very quick when he started showing signs of schizophrenia
But again, you know, there's no cure toward that towards that but
Treatment is there and you know, I feel like the same way with cte
You know the the damage has been done
However, there are ways, you know that if you if you're aware of it and you and you treat it and you look for help and you
get the help
That you know it is possible to not
have to
Feel like you're regressive or or even just to live a full life. It's possible. Of course it is. Yeah
Well, that's awesome. Thank you. I I knew a little bit about that, but I didn't know as much as I do now
So thanks for the information and honestly like again, you know when we talk about
The way that this could progress as a society. Maybe we don't have children ages six to twelve tackling each other
You know hurting each other at such a young age
You know, but again a lot of minds would have to change for something like that to happen
Of course, yeah, I just I I think about the scientific community and the technology that we're going to develop when it comes to things like cte and
Again, yeah, let me get those biomarkers and all that stuff. It'll be definitive proof like hey NFL
This person shouldn't be doing this anymore. All right. They need they need to take care of themselves. Yeah
Well, thanks for sharing. I was a good one. Sorry. It was a quick. No, it's fine
You guys uh be on the lookout for the second part of Alexander Lewis-Renewal
It'll probably be out next Tuesday if I would imagine just because of our schedules
Um, so we're gonna make you wait for that one and chew on the first part of that for a little bit
and then we'll come back with the
with the information
And in the meantime, you can follow us on instagram at diagnosing a killer. We have twitter at killer diagnosis
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Thank you guys for listening and we will see you soon. All right. Love you. Bye