Boston University CTE Center and Brain Bank
The Boston University CTE Center is an independently run medical research lab located at the Boston University School of Medicine. The Center focuses on research related to the long-term effects of brain trauma and degenerative brain diseases, specializing in the diagnosis and analysis of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). According to researchers at Boston University, CTE is a brain disease involving progressive neurological deterioration common in athletes, military personnel, and others who have a history of brain trauma. The disease is primarily caused by repeated blows to the head, some of which result in concussions or sub-concussive symptoms. Symptoms from CTE do not typically appear in a subject until many years after the initial injuries, and a conclusive diagnosis of the disease can only be achieved through autopsy. In the years since its inception, the BU CTE Center and Brain Bank has devoted the majority of its time and effort into researching methods for diagnosing CTE in living subjects and developing potential treatments for the disease. Although CTE remains mysterious and controversial, researchers have observed a link between the disease and the protein called tau, which slowly forms clumps in the brain that kill brain cells. This often results in subjects experiencing depression, anxiety, memory loss, headaches, and sleep disturbances. Formation Boston University's CTE Center was formed as a part of the school's Alzheimer's Disease Center (BU ADC) which was established in 1996. As the prominence of long-term brain injuries continued to grow in the early 2000s, the CTE Center collaborated with the United States Department of Veteran Affairs and the Concussion Legacy Foundation to form the VA-BU-CLF Brain Bank. This Brain Bank was officially formed in 2008, and acts as a subset of the Boston University School of Medicine. A brain bank is designed to act as a central resource for the collection and distribution of brain and brain tissue samples. Brain donors may donate their brains after death to aid in the understanding of neural diseases. Brain banks differ from other organ banks in that donated brains will only be used for research purposes, and will not be given to other individuals. Dr. Ann McKee acts is the Director for the VA-BU-CLF Brain Bank and Boston University CTE Center, leading her team of researchers during group and individual case studies. McKee is aided in directing the Brain Bank by Dr. Chris Nowinski, CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, and Lisa McHale, who acts as the Bank's director for family relations. When the VA-BU-CLF Brain Bank formally opened in 2008, it became the first tissue repository in the world fully dedicated to the study of CTE. The Brain Bank continues to lead the field of CTE study, as it remains the largest brain tissue repository in the world that focuses on traumatic brain injuries and CTE. In partnership with the VA-BU-CLF Brain Bank, the Boston University CTE Center continues to be the most accomplished CTE research facility in the world, as the Center houses 70% of global CTE cases. Mission