THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CTE AND A CONCUSSION

Earlier, it was explained that CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) is a progressive brain disease caused by repeated blows to the head or multiple concussions over time. While both CTE and concussions involve damage to the brain, they are not the same thing. A concussion is considered a short-term brain injury, while CTE is the long-term result of repeated trauma that leads to permanent damage. Now let`s see how can you get a concussion. 

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A concussion happens when the brain moves rapidly inside the skull due to an impact, such as a punch, kick, or fall. This movement causes the brain cells to stretch and temporarily lose their ability to function properly, resulting in symptoms like headaches, dizziness, confusion, or blurred vision. Most people recover from a concussion within a few weeks if they rest and allow their brain to heal. And as mentioned before CTE, develops over years of repeated head impacts (including sub-concussive hits), like small blows that don’t cause immediate symptoms but still damage brain cells. 

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Over time, these repeated impacts cause a build-up of abnormal tau protein. Information on the CTE and abnormal tau protein can be found in the first two section. In simple terms, a concussion is an acute injury that the brain can usually recover from with proper rest and care, while CTE is a chronic disease that results from accumulated, untreated damage. The main difference lies in the duration and effect: concussions cause temporary dysfunction, while CTE causes lasting structural changes to the brain. This distinction is important because many athletes believe that if they don’t get “knocked out,” they’re safe from brain injury. Even hits that don’t cause noticeable symptoms can contribute to long-term damage. Understanding this difference helps fighters take brain health more seriously and adopt safer training and recovery methods to prevent future harm.