Understanding symptoms, risks, and biomarkers of chronic traumatic encephalopathy and related dementias
Risk and Resilience, Clinical presentation, and Biomarker Profiles of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy and Related Dementias: The DIAGNOSE CTE Research Project II
This project follows people with past repeated head impacts—mainly former football players—and looks for brain scan and blood markers linked to CTE and related dementias.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston University Medical Campus NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11164612 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would join a group made up mostly of former college and professional football players plus non-contact controls and receive clinical exams, imaging, and blood tests over several years. The team uses MRI, tau and amyloid PET scans, and blood biomarkers alongside remote and in-home follow-ups to track how symptoms and markers change over time. Researchers compare people with traumatic encephalopathy syndrome to those without to find patterns that separate CTE from Alzheimer’s and other dementias. The project builds on the original DIAGNOSE cohort and aims to retain and expand participants to strengthen long-term findings.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are middle-aged to older adults with a history of repetitive head impacts—especially former college or professional football players—or matched non-contact controls willing to undergo imaging and blood draws.
Not a fit: People without a history of repetitive head impacts or whose cognitive problems are clearly due to other medical causes may not benefit directly from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could enable diagnosis of CTE during life and help guide treatment or prevention efforts.
How similar studies have performed: Earlier DIAGNOSE work and other biomarker studies have produced promising leads with PET and blood tests, but a definitive in-life CTE diagnostic has not yet been established.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Boston University Medical Campus — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Alosco, Michael — Boston University Medical Campus
- Study coordinator: Alosco, Michael
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.