Forensic Neuropathology Symposium kicks off 97th Annual AANP Meeting

Dr. Marc Del Bigio of the University of Manitoba was first in the line-up for an excellent forensic neuropathology symposium as a satellite preface to the 97th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Neuropathologists. His discussion was entitled "Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Outside of the Sports Arena". After a review of the history of the development of CTE as a diagnostic entity, Dr. Del Bigio discussed the fact that this disease does not only occur among athletes. Dr. Del Bigio studied 111 brains in a routine autopsy service of patients aged 18 to 60 years old. Del Bigio and his group found that the cases which had CTE pathology had an increased likelihood of having a clinical history of repeated head trauma and/or substance abuse. Del Bigio suggested that tau immunohistochemistry can be done in a limited way in patients with a clinical history suggestive that CTE is possible.