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Published on: April 18, 2019
An Autopsy Proven Child Onset Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy
Kyuho Lee1, Seong-Ik Kim1, Yujin Lee1
1Department of Pathology, Seoul National University Hospital, College of Medicine, Seoul, 03080, Korea.
Insights
This autopsy case reveals chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in a young adult, highlighting that even children can develop CTE dementia due to head trauma.
Area of Science:
- Neuropathology
- Neurodegenerative Diseases
- Traumatic Brain Injury
Background:
- Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease associated with repetitive head trauma.
- While often diagnosed in athletes, CTE can affect individuals with other forms of head injury.
- Early-onset dementia in children and young adults necessitates understanding potential underlying causes like CTE.
Abstract:
Here we present an autopsy case of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in a 36-year-old man. He had a history of febrile seizures at the age of four and was severely demented at age 10 when he was admitted to a mental hospital. He had suffered repetitive self-harm, such as frequent banging of the head on the wall in his hospital record, but he had no clear history between the ages of four and ten. Autopsy revealed global cerebral atrophy, including the basal ganglia, thalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, mammilary bodies and lateral geniculate bodies. This case showed typical pathological features of CTE. Phosphorylated tau (p-tau)-positive neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) and neuropil threads (NT) we are widely distributed in the brain, especially in the depth of the cerebral sulci. NFT and NT were also found in the basal ganglia, thalamus, amygdala and brainstem. Scanty β-amyloid deposits were found in the motor and sensory cortices, but α-synuclein was completely negative in the brain. This example showed that CTE can occur in young ages and that even children can experience CTE dementia.
