Category: Research & Media Alerts

Monthly roundups of new CTE research and news, plus occasional special alerts.

  • Research & Media Alerts: September–October 2026

    Welcome to the first CTE Society Research & Media Alerts. Each month we read the news and research on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and pick out what matters most for families, athletes and veterans, with links to the original sources. This first issue covers September and October 2026.

    Promising research

    • Diagnosing CTE in living people is getting closer, but it isn’t here yet. Teams at Boston University, UCLA, Cleveland Clinic and the University of Toronto are testing brain-scan tracers and blood markers in clinical studies. None is available to patients; CTE can still be confirmed only after death. The New York Times, Sept. 22
    • A clinical trial for former football players is recruiting. Emory University and the Concussion & CTE Foundation are running a small Phase 2 trial of an approved anti-inflammatory drug in former players with depression or memory symptoms. It is an early test, not a proven treatment. Concussion & CTE Foundation, Sept. 17 · Being Patient, Oct. 13

    Beyond football

    • CTE found in 31 former rugby league players. An Australian brain bank study adds to evidence that repeated head impacts in many sports, not only American football, are linked to CTE. Associated Press, Sept. 9

    Families, caregiving & legal rights

    • NFL settlement testing may miss decline in players with advanced CTE. A study in JAMA compared settlement test results with brain-bank findings after death. Medical Xpress, Sept. 5

    Youth sports & prevention

    • Is football too dangerous for kids’ brains? A look at what scientists are learning about youth football and brain health. Scientific American, Sept. 23

    In case you missed it

    • At least 1 in 4 former NFL players who died in 2016–21 had CTE. The broadest study yet looked at all 1,712 former NFL players who died between 2008 and 2021. Of the 338 whose brains were donated, 93% had CTE. Because donated brains aren’t a random sample, researchers estimate a range, with at least 1 in 4 affected. The BMJ, Aug. 25

    More research, organized by topic, is on our Research page. Know someone who would find this useful? Forward this email; they can sign up on our site.

    Research news is not medical advice; talk with a doctor about your own situation. If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, U.S.).

  • NASCAR Hall of Famer Fred Lorenzen is the first NASCAR driver diagnosed with CTE

    Boston University researchers have found stage 3 (of 4) chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in the brain of Fred Lorenzen, the NASCAR Hall of Fame driver who died in December 2024 at age 89. It is the first known CTE diagnosis in a NASCAR driver. The Concussion & CTE Foundation announced the finding on October 20, 2026.

    Lorenzen lived with dementia for about 20 years; it was diagnosed in his 60s, and his family says he struggled for years before that. Neuropathologist Dr. Thor Stein of the BU CTE Center studied his brain.

    His children are donating $1 million to the Concussion & CTE Foundation to create the Fred Lorenzen Memorial HelpLine, help drivers and their families find care, and support Boston University’s work toward diagnosing CTE in living people. The family said it was disappointed that NASCAR chose not to join the initiative.

    What this does and doesn’t tell us

    The case adds motorsport to the list of activities in which CTE has been found. A single case does not tell us how common CTE is among race car drivers, and CTE can still be confirmed only by examining the brain after death.

    Sources: Concussion & CTE Foundation · The Washington Times

    Families looking for support can find help on our Resources page, and other confirmed cases are on Who is CTE.