Neurology® Podcast Traumatic Encephalopathy Syndrome in the LETBI Study Cohort
Dec 4, 2025
Dr. Kristen Dams-O'Connor, a clinician-scientist at the Icahn School of Medicine, explores traumatic encephalopathy syndrome (TES) linked to traumatic brain injuries. She discusses the long-term outcomes of TBI and clarifies the distinction between clinical features of TES and pathologies like CTE. Kristen outlines her research in the LETBI cohort, highlighting that about 34% of participants met TES core criteria even without repetitive head impacts. She emphasizes the need for improved diagnostics and a multidisciplinary approach to treatment.
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CTE Versus TES: Critical Distinction
- CTE is a neuropathologic diagnosis that can only be confirmed after death by brain tissue analysis.
- TES is a proposed clinical syndrome meant to represent the clinical manifestation of CTE but cannot currently be diagnosed during life.
Repetitive Head Impacts Are Fundamental
- TES criteria require substantial repetitive head impact exposure plus cognitive or neurobehavioral decline that is progressive.
- These exposure thresholds (e.g., ≥5 years of organized American football) are provisional and based mainly on football datasets.
TES Features Are Common Without RHI
- In the LETBI cohort, 34% met TES core clinical criteria when repetitive head impact exposure was not required.
- Almost half of participants nevertheless had RHI exposure, and RHI did not increase TES criteria likelihood in this sample.