HOPE

The VA-BU-CLF Brain Bank has diagnosed more than 70 percent of the world’s CTE cases, and the evidence suggests CTE is an environmentally-caused disease. But it has been discovered that clinical outcomes vary significantly among individuals, and part of that variability is caused by genetics. Future research will be aimed at having the statistical power to isolate the genes associated with CTE susceptibility and resilience and unlock new targets for therapies. The VA-BU-CLF Brain Bank is on the cusp of diagnosing CTE accurately in the living. As researchers get closer and closer to diagnosing and treating CTE in living people, CTE prevention is becoming more of a focus. The Brain Bank’s next chapter involves recruiting research subjects, especially female athletes and military Veterans to advance knowledge that will help these historically understudied populations. To view the 1,000 Reasons for Hope report visit www.concussionfoundation.org/1000reasons.

“I’m very grateful for the insight the Concussion Legacy Foundation has been able to provide me and my family. Losing my dad without warning was a tough kick in the gut, but one of the saving graces of his passing was coming to understand just how healthy his brain was.”

- DWAYNE JOHNSON