Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Linked to Dementia

MONDAY, Feb. 2, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) stage III and IV neuropathology is associated with increased odds of dementia, according to a study published online Jan. 27 in Alzheimer”s & Dementia.

Rachael M. Layden, from Boston University Alzheimer”s Disease Research Center, and colleagues examined the independent contribution of CTE neuropathology to dementia symptoms in a sample including 614 brain donors with and without autopsy-confirmed CTE (366 and 248, respectively). Cognitive and neuropsychiatric measures were completed by informants. During diagnostic consensus conferences, dementia was diagnosed.

The researchers found that the odds of dementia were increased in association with CTE stage IV and CTE stage III (odds ratios, 4.48 and 2.12, respectively). Greater informant-reported cognitive symptoms were seen in association with higher CTE stage. No associations were seen with mood/behavioral scales.

“This study provides evidence of a robust association between CTE and dementia as well as cognitive symptoms, supporting our suspicions of CTE being a possible cause of dementia,” senior author Michael Alosco, Ph.D., from Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, said in a statement. “Establishing that cognitive symptoms and dementia are outcomes of CTE moves us closer to being able to accurately detect and diagnose CTE during life, which is urgently needed.”

Several authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry; one author serves as an expert witness in legal cases involving brain injury and concussion.

Abstract/Full Text