CTE

Props to the NY Times for doing an amazing piece on Derek Boogaard.  They had video, handwritten notes, and a penned piece that can make even the toughest of guys tear up.

It was only after a brain autopsy that Boogaard was diagnosed with CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy).  Had Boogaard survived, he would have encountered middle-age dementia in the near future. At age 28, he would find himself in a sliding decline of cognitive function.

CTE, currently, can only be diagnosed post-mortem. There are no clearly defined markers or tests to diagnose this while the patient is alive.  CTE is a degenerative brain disease that closely resembles Alzheimer's disease.  Many repeated blows to the head which result in closed head injuries are believed to be the culprit behind CTE.  Symptoms of  CTE mirror Alzheimer's: lack of insight, poor judgement, vertigo, impaired speech, headaches, dizziness, confusion, disorientation. Sadly, some of those symptoms also are symptoms of concussions, which are becoming more and more prevalent in the NHL.

Makes you look at concussions and hits to the head (intentional or not) in a whole new light.