CTE Symptoms in Athletes May Appear as Early as the 50s or 60s

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Alosco explains that people with substantial lifetime exposure to repetitive head impacts tend to show cognitive symptoms — memory problems, thinking difficulties — somewhat earlier than the general population, often in their 50s or 60s rather than later in life. Mood changes such as depression can appear even younger, though the direct link between those early mood symptoms and CTE pathology is weak and the causes are likely multiple. His advice: if you played contact sports and are experiencing cognitive symptoms in your 60s or 70s, that is when suspicion for a neurodegenerative disease including CTE is highest and warrants evaluation. Younger people with memory or mood symptoms should focus on treating those symptoms directly, since they are manageable regardless of cause and most people recover from individual concussions.