PET scans diagnose traumatic brain injuries before they turn deadly

MIT Technology Review : Multiple concussions and other repetitive head injuries suffered by professional football players and others in active professions have been found to lead to a condition called chronic traumatic encephalopathy. CTE can cause memory loss and depression, and some sufferers have even committed suicide. Until recently, CTE could only be diagnosed after the patient had died. Now researchers have developed a method using positron emission tomography to search for signs of CTE in living patients. A radioactive compound is injected intravenously and allowed to circulate through the bloodstream and into the brain. The compound sticks to tau proteins, aggregations of which are considered to be a main indicator of CTE. By monitoring the levels of tau proteins in living people, researchers may be able to better understand the traumatic effects of head injuries and develop ways to treat or prevent CTE.