Investigating neuronal loss in cortical layer 2 and layer 3 in young individuals with a history of repetitive head injury
OA Version
Citation
Abstract
Individuals exposed to repetitive head impacts (RHI) are at risk for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). CTE is a neurodegenerative tauopathy characterized by perivascular accumulation of hyperphosphoryalted tau (p-tau). Although p-tau is the defining feature of the disease, individuals with minimal pathology can sometimes be observed to have significant neurobehavioral or cognitive symptoms suggesting there are still unclear pathological elements occurring in CTE that warrant further study. Interestingly, recent work has demonstrated young individuals with exposure to RHI had a loss of neurons in cortical layers 2 and 3 particularly at sulcal depths. This study aimed to characterize the neuron loss in young individuals (<51 yrs) exposed to RHI with confirmed CTE. Using Fluoro Jade C (FJC) fluorescent stain for degenerating neurons, we were able to identify FJC+ neurons in high stage CTE. Low stage CTE neuron degeneration was not identifiable using FJC suggesting that early loss will need to be characterized using a different approach.
Description
2025