Significance Mild traumatic brain injuries are frequent events in the general population and are associated with a severe neurodegenerative disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). This disease is characterized by abnormal accumulation of protein aggregates, primarily tau proteins, which accumulate in brain areas responsible for mood, fear, stress, and cognition. There is no definitive clinical diagnosis of CTE at the present time, and this new work shows how a tau-sensitive brain imaging agent, [F-18]FDDNP, may be able to detect the disease in living people with varying degrees of symptoms. Early detection would facilitate the most effective management strategies and provide a baseline to measure the effectiveness of treatments.

In vivo characterization of chronic traumatic encephalopathy using [F-18]FDDNP PET brain imaging