College football player who committed suicide suffers head trauma

(CNN) — The autopsy of a 21-year-old college football player who committed suicide revealed mild stages of a type of brain injury typically seen in retired or aging athletes and can cause neurobehavioral disorders. and strange behavior.

His teammates had described Owen Thomas as an affable junior who had been overwhelmingly elected as one of the captains of the University of Pennsylvania football team, and his coach had called him “the most popular kid on our team.” Thomas was also named to the All-Ivy second team in 2009.

His suicide in April stunned friends and family.

Researchers at Boston University ordered an autopsy of his brain. This week, they said Thomas suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, making him the first active college football player known to have suffered from the debilitating disease.

CTE is also called pugilistic dementia because career boxers who have suffered repeated blows to the head and concussions are known to develop this syndrome.

Its effects are primarily neurobehavioral, including poor decision-making, memory impairment, erratic behavior, drug and alcohol use, depression, and suicide.

“We know that CTE can cause things like depression, erratic behavior and impulse control problems,” Dr. Robert Stern, co-director of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy at Boston University School of Medicine, said on CNN’s “American Morning.”

“And there have been several cases of suicide in the past among people with CTE. But in no individual case can we say with certainty that there is a link,” he said.

CTE has been identified in the brains of former NFL football players John Grimsley, Mike Webster, Andre Waters, Justin Strzelczyk, Terry Long, Tom McHale and Chris Henry.

Grimsley died of an accidental gunshot wound to the chest. Webster, Long and Strzelczyk all died after prolonged bouts of depression, while Waters committed suicide in 2006 at the age of 44. McHale was found dead last year of an apparent drug overdose. Henry died at the age of 26 after falling from a moving truck during a fight with his girlfriend.

Although CTE has been seen in older players with concussions and repeated head injuries, Thomas had never been diagnosed with a concussion until age 9, according to his medical records and his family.

Thomas was a lineman, a position that endures up to 1,000 hits to the head per season.

Recently, neurologists have suggested that such blows to the head may be deceptively severe, even if the player feels no pain or shows any symptoms. The accumulation of such blows to the head could cause lasting damage.

Young player suffered brain injuries more often seen in NFL veterans

“This shows us that you don’t have to have known or reported concussions to develop this brain disease,” Stern said. “It really shows us that these multiple, repetitive hits to the head, experienced by so many athletes in many different sports, can cause the beginnings of this disease.”

Examination of sections of Owen Thomas’ brain showing dense tau protein in several areas.

The syndrome is thought to be caused by large accumulations of tau proteins in the brain that kill cells in regions responsible for mood, emotion and executive functioning. Tau proteins are also found in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Thomas’ brain had traces of the tau protein.

“CTE, which is a progressive brain disease that can eventually lead to dementia, can appear at a very young age,” Stern said. “You don’t have to have played professional football for years to start developing this disease. Owen was 21 and we saw a definite, mild but very definitive disease.”

Philly.com: Autopsy shows Penn star suffered from brain disease

Thomas apparently hanged himself in his off-campus apartment, according to CNN affiliate Philly.com.

Microscopic images show large numbers of tau (dark brown spots) in damaged areas. In healthy brain tissue, there would be no such protein tangles.

“Although we will never know the cause of Owen Thomas’ depression and suicide, we are aware and deeply concerned about the medical issues currently raised by football-related head injuries and will continue to work with the Ivy League and medical community to address these issues,” the University of Pennsylvania said in a statement.

“Owen’s untimely death was a terrible tragedy and we continue to mourn his loss.”

Philly.com: Penn football team faces sadness after 2 suicides in 5 years

CTE remains a confusing condition because there is no test to detect it while a person is alive. Detecting the syndrome requires brain samples, which can only be taken after the person dies.

“It can definitely go unnoticed,” Stern said. “We don’t know how long it lasts, how long it lasts before we can start to see symptoms.”

Thomas’ case highlights that football should be made safer, Stern said, and suggestions include reducing the number of hits to the head and using different types of helmets.

“We need to make sure that parents, the kids themselves, coaches and trainers really understand that repeated hits to the head over time can lead to dramatic problems later in life,” Stern said.

The NFL said it will step up efforts to prevent and research the dangers of head injuries, after the league was accused of downplaying medical evidence.

NFL medical chiefs, Goodell meet on brain injuries

“Until now, this concern about head concussions was not on my radar,” said Thomas’ mother, the Rev. Kathy Brearley, of Allentown, Pennsylvania. Philly.com. “The fact that Owen contracted this disease at the age of 21 should worry everyone.”

Thomas will be honored in a ceremony Saturday before the University of Pennsylvania’s home opener.