Ann McKee’s Mission: Saving Human Brains Through Research

Pioneering the Fight Against CTE: Dr. Ann McKee’s Groundbreaking Research

In the world of neurodegenerative diseases, one name stands out: Dr. Ann McKee. As a leading expert in chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), she has been at the forefront of uncovering the link between repeated head trauma and brain deterioration.

The Discovery of CTE

CTE is a progressive brain condition caused by repeated blows to the head, commonly seen in athletes, military personnel, and victims of domestic violence. The symptoms, which include behavioral changes, parkinsonism, depression, anxiety, and dementia, can only be definitively diagnosed through a postmortem brain examination.

Dr. McKee’s journey into CTE research began in 2005 when she encountered the severely degenerated brain of Paul Pender, a former boxer, while studying Alzheimer’s patients. This discovery sparked her interest and set her on a path to uncover the truth about CTE, despite facing resistance from those who doubted its existence.

“This was a disease that people said I was making up, even though it had been described before,” Dr. McKee says. “There was so much resistance to this being an actual disease. It took me 10 years to get over that major hurdle.”

The Link Between Football and CTE

Dr. McKee’s research took a significant turn when she examined the brain of a 45-year-old former NFL player who had played for nine years. The extent of the damage shocked her, as it revealed that football posed a risk for this degenerative disease.

“My first football player [brain] was a 45-year-old man who played nine years in the NFL, and when I saw his brain, I was floored because it meant football was a risk for this degenerative disease,” says Dr. McKee, a homegrown Green Bay Packers fan. “I’d been watching [football] for many years. They don’t look like they’re getting hurt, but of course it’s a slow degeneration that happens over many years.”

Advancing CTE Research and Prevention

Dr. McKee’s tireless efforts have led to the publication of more than 70 percent of the confirmed CTE cases worldwide. Her research has shown that CTE is caused by multiple blows to the head, rather than just concussions. To further her studies, she established the UNITE Brain Bank, the world’s largest repository of brains with traumatic injuries, housing more than 1,400 specimens.

Recognized for her outstanding contributions, Dr. McKee has received numerous awards, including the Henry Wisniewski Lifetime Achievement Award from the Alzheimer’s Association, the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal, and the Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Award.

Dr. McKee’s primary goals are to reduce the number of CTE cases, especially among young people, and to develop effective treatments for those affected. She advocates for prevention through rule changes in sports that minimize head impacts and active monitoring of athletes to limit their exposure to hits. Additionally, she is working on developing methods to detect CTE in living patients, hoping to achieve this within the next five years.

“Detection during life is the holy grail. If we can do that, we can start some treatments,” she says. “We have some good possibilities [for treatment] but we have no way of knowing if they work. If we can detect it early in young players, where it hasn’t progressed to wide reaches of the brain, I think we can make a real difference.”

A Beacon of Hope

Despite facing criticism from those who view her research as an attack on sports, Dr. McKee remains committed to reducing CTE cases across the board, particularly in young people who should not be suffering from brain deterioration at an early age. Her optimism for the future is evident, as she believes that with early detection, CTE can be a treatable condition.

“I’m very optimistic that this is a treatable condition if detected early enough,” she says, her excitement clear. “I think in the very near future, we’ll have treatments.”

With Dr. Ann McKee leading the charge, the fight against CTE is in capable hands, and the future looks brighter for those at risk of developing this devastating condition.

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