CTE

[see-tee-ee]

abbreviation

1. Also called dementia pugilistica. chronic traumatic encephalopathy: a progressive degenerative neurological disease caused by repeated cerebral concussion or milder traumatic brain injury and characterized by memory loss, behavioral disturbances, speech problems, slowed movement, etc.

Word History and Origins

Origin of CTE¹

First recorded in 1945–50.

Example Sentences

‘Unambiguous’ evidence of CTE found in Shane Tamura, the former SoCal football player who was targeting NFL headquarters when he killed four, then himself, in NYC office building.

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Shane Tamura, the gunman who killed four people and himself in a New York City office building in July, had CTE, a degenerative brain disease linked to head injuries sustained in football and other contact sports.

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The New York medical examiner “found unambiguous diagnostic evidence of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE, in the brain tissue of the decedent,” according to a statement.

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“The findings correspond with the classification of low-stage CTE, according to current consensus criteria.”

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Tamura drove this summer from Nevada — where he worked as a security guard at the Horseshoe Las Vegas hotel and casino — to New York, leaving behind a three-page suicide note stating that he believed he had CTE and that his motive was anger at the NFL for making profit a priority over players’ brain safety.

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When To Use

What is CTE?

CTE stands for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease caused by repeated trauma to the head. The disease is especially prevalent among military veterans and professional athletes like American football players.How is CTE pronounced?[ see-tee-ee ]