Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Within an Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Brain Bank Cohort

J Neuropathol Exp Neurol. 2018 Dec 1;77(12):1091-1100. doi: 10.1093/jnen/nly092.

Abstract

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder linked to repetitive head impacts and has been associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal, degenerative neuromuscular disorder. The Department of Veterans Affairs Biorepository Brain Bank (VABBB) is a tissue repository that collects antemortem disease progression data and postmortem central nervous system tissue from veterans with ALS. We set out to determine the frequency of co-morbid ALS and CTE in the VABBB cohort and to characterize the clinical, genetic, and pathological distinctions between participants with ALS only and those with both ALS and CTE (ALS+CTE). Of 155 participants, 9 (5.8%) had neuropathologically confirmed ALS+CTE. Participants with ALS+CTE were more likely to have a history of traumatic brain injury (p < 0.001), served during the first Persian Gulf War (p < 0.05), and to have more severe tau pathology within the frontal cortex and spinal cord (p < 0.05). The most common exposures to head impacts included contact sports (n = 5) and military service (n = 2). Clinically, participants with ALS+CTE were more likely to have bulbar onset ALS (p = 0.006), behavioral changes (p = 0.002), and/or mood changes (p < 0.001). Overall, compared with ALS in isolation, comorbid ALS+CTE is associated with a history of TBI and has a distinct clinical and pathological presentation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / epidemiology
  • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / genetics
  • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / pathology*
  • Brain / pathology*
  • Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy / epidemiology
  • Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy / genetics
  • Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy / pathology*
  • Cohort Studies
  • Comorbidity
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Tissue Banks / trends*
  • United States / epidemiology
  • United States Department of Veterans Affairs / trends*