Could CTE have played a role in Boston bombings?

| | Health Imaging | Neuroimaging

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) has been blamed for a number of high profile suicides among National Football League players, but some are wondering if the degenerative brain disease could have been a factor in the Boston Marathon bombings.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the older of the two brothers presumed responsible for the bombings who was killed in a standoff with police, was an amateur boxer, and CTE affects athletes who sustain repeated blows to the head. As the article below from Slate points out, CTE is associated with rage, impaired judgment, suicidal tendencies and other cognitive effects. Even if Tsarnaev is found to have had the condition, it might be a stretch to say CTE caused the events in Boston, but a pair of Boston University neurosurgeons want Tsarnaev’s brain tested regardless.

To read more, click the link below:

Did Concussions Make Him Do It?

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