Summary: A recent study reveals that people who have a family history of mental illness and chronic traumatic encephalopathy ( CTE ) are more likely to be aggressive in adulthood, particularly between the ages of 40 and 59. Researchers compared the data from 845 men who had record of head injury to those who had both CTE and a mental illness in their analyses of data.
The results suggest that CTE have a mix of environmental and genetic predispositional factors that affect brutality. Identifying those at higher risk may aid in the selection of interventions and enhance the effectiveness of treatments.
Important Information:
- On hostility, CTE people with a mental illness from their families were higher.
- The most prevalent age range was 40-59 centuries old.
- Non-CTE folks did not exhibit increased aggression on their own because of their family history of mental illness.
Origin: AAN
A study found that middle-aged people who have chronic traumatic encephalopathy ( CTE ) and a family history of mental illness are more likely to be aggressive in middle age.
Multiple head injuries, which are frequently experienced in athletes and military personnel, can cause mood changes and memory. Fractures is a neurological condition.
According to research artist Jesse Mez, MD, MS, of Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and a member of the American Academy of Neurology,” This appears to be a situation where these risk factors add up to a greater chance of anger than they individually do,” according to research writer.
845 men who had been in the military or through contact sports were included in the study. A total of 329 of them played professional football. After their passing, which was on average at the age of 60, all of them donated their brains to research. Of the total group, 589, or 70 %, had CTE and 383, or 45 %, had a family history of mental illness.
Researchers asked the participants ‘ families or spouses about their aggressive behavior.
They were also asked whether the participants ‘ parents, siblings or children were ever diagnosed with major depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder or other mood or psychiatric disorders.
The participant was deemed to have a family history of mental illness if any family member received a diagnosis.
Researchers then divided participants into four groups: 256 people, or 30 %, with CTE and a family history of mental illness, 333 people, or 40 %, with CTE and without a family history of mental illness, 127 people, or 15 %, without CTE and with a family history of mental illness, and 129 people, or 15 %, without CTE and without a family history of mental illness.
Researchers questioned family members about the participants ‘ aggressive behavior, such as whether they engaged in physical fights or engaged in frequent verbal altercations. The results ranged from zero to 44.
They found that people with CTE and a mental illness had an average score of 19 as adults, compared to those with CTE and no family history of mental illness, who had an average score of 17.
Participants who passed away between the ages of 40 and 59 were most affected by this relationship, Mez continued.
After taking into account other variables, such as total years of playing contact sports and military history, researchers discovered that those who died between the ages of 40 and 59 and had CTE and a mental illness had an average of 0.64 standard deviations higher on a scale of aggression than those who had CTE but had no family history of mental illness.
A family history of mental illness did not increase people’s risk of acting aggressively in the presence of CTE, according to those who did not have the disorder.
According to Mez,” a shared genetic background, shared environment, and common behaviors, such as childhood experiences with family members, may be the link between a family history of mental illness and aggression.”
Based on a family history of mental illness, “identifying those who are more likely to exhibit aggression symptoms would give us a way to predict the effects of CTE and identify those who might benefit from the most treatment options”
The study’s reliance on prior research from family members and spouses, who might not have remembered the information correctly, was a drawback.
Funding: The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health, Department of Veterans Affairs and the Nick and Lynn Buoniconti Foundation.
About this news about mental health research and CTE
Author: Natalie Conrad
Source: AAN
Contact: Natalie Conrad – AAN
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: The findings will appear in Neurology
