58: Is it Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) or Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)

Matt made the attempt to donate Frank's brain to science. We called several research hospitals while he was at South Mountain to offer his body upon his death. It would have given us some insight into what caused the rapid behavioral and cognitive changes we saw in Frank along with possibly helping others who may be suffering. Calling attention to this set of brain injury diseases is key to finding a cure and treatment. Currently, many health care providers are unaware of what this is, nor do they know how to treat it. Upon admission to the hospital from prison, Frank was given an overdose of an injectable psychiatric medicine which caused muscle rigidity and a permanent tremor.  Based on the concern among the nurses, I suspect there was more that we were not informed of. I also suspect it was due to the doctor being unaware of how to treat the symptoms of brain injury. After being treated by many medical and psychiatric doctors, only one was finally able to diagnose Frank's ailment, along with the advice to take him home. No treatment was available or even suggested. I think we should be able to do better for the millions of people suffering from brain injury.

We suspect that Frank's illness was from his years playing the game he loved, football, and also possibly repercussions from his years in the Army National Guard, but actually we'll never know. FTD was the name given to his set of symptoms, based on his behavior alone, by the psychiatrist in the psychiatric ward of the hospital.

CTE and FTD are linked under the category of "brain trauma injuries" and also exhibit similar presenting behaviors. According to the Mayo Clinic, "Frontotemporal lobe dementia is an umbrella term for a diverse group of uncommon disorders that primarily affect the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain-the areas generally associated with personality, behavior and language."

CTE was first noticed in 2002 upon autopsy of an NFL player after he passed away of a heart attack. The pathologist noticed an unusual pattern of tau protein deposits in his brain different from what would be seen with Alzheimer's. The pathologist, Dr. Bennett Omalu, looked for and found the same pattern in other football players too. The NFL is now on notice to make the game safer for the sake of current and future players health. Although a radioactive compound is being developed to allow the abnormal proteins show up on a PET scan, in Frank's case, without autopsy, we have no way of knowing exactly which type of brain injury he had.

According to Ann McKee, a Boston pathologist researching CTE, studies are focused on finding "the mechanism of the disease, and that would allow us to come up with real therapeutic strategies as well as prophylaxis and ways to prevent this disorder".  Treatment would be ideal, but if research finds a way to prevent or even delay symptoms, thousands of families will have a healthier, more fulfilled future.

Schnable, Jim. "Football-Related Neurodegenerative Syndrome Creates Anxiety—And Controversy." The Dana Foundation, 19 Sept. 2011. Web. 09 July 2014.