“Within those axons is what’s called microtubule associated protein tau or MAPT, and the tau stabilises the microtubules to give structural integrity to that axon.” Associate Professor Michael Buckland in the lab at the Sydney Brain and Mind Centre.
“It’s all about how much exposure your brain is getting to these acceleration and rotational forces over short periods of time.” Associate Professor Michael Buckland It’s found in all neurons in the brain and it serves to stabilise their long outward projections… called axons,” says Buckland. “Tau is actually a normal, cellular protein. Trauma to the brain causes tau proteins to clump together in tangled masses and alter normal brain functioning.īut while Alzheimer’s might be triggered by several age, genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors, CTE is found in those with histories of repeated impacts to the head. Tau proteins play an important structural role in stabilising microtubules in brain axons – the long cable-like structures of neurons that extend away from the cell body, ending in the synapses used to communicate with other brain cells.
Change to the hippocampus is associated with a range of neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders.īoth CTE and Alzheimer’s appear to share a common problem: toxic tau. Both show shrinkage in the hippocampus, which plays a crucial role in learning and processing information as part of short and long-term memory formation. “Mostly diagnosis is based on reports from patients themselves or people around them at the time of injury.” Dr Sarah HellewellĬTE is remarkably like Alzheimer’s.
Too much cell death and dysfunction could lead to any of several pathologies, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, motor neurone diseases, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).ĬTE – or chronic traumatic encephalopathy – is in there too, and that has captured the concerns of the sporting community in recent years.
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