Stage III and IV CTE linked to 2.12 and 4.48 times increased odds of dementia; higher CTE stage also linked to informant-reported cognitive symptoms<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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MONDAY, Feb. 2, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) stage III and IV neuropathology is associated with increased odds of dementia, according to a study published online Jan. 27 in Alzheimer’s & Dementia<\/em>.<\/p>\n Rachael M. Layden, from Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, and colleagues examined the independent contribution of CTE neuropathology to dementia symptoms in a sample including 614 brain donors with and without autopsy-confirmed CTE (366 and 248, respectively). Cognitive and neuropsychiatric measures were completed by informants. During diagnostic consensus conferences, dementia was diagnosed.<\/p>\n The researchers found that the odds of dementia were increased in association with CTE stage IV and CTE stage III (odds ratios, 4.48 and 2.12, respectively). Greater informant-reported cognitive symptoms were seen in association with higher CTE stage. No associations were seen with mood\/behavioral scales.<\/p>\n “This study provides evidence of a robust association between CTE and dementia as well as cognitive symptoms, supporting our suspicions of CTE being a possible cause of dementia,” senior author Michael Alosco, Ph.D., from Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, said in a statement. “Establishing that cognitive symptoms and dementia are outcomes of CTE moves us closer to being able to accurately detect and diagnose CTE during life, which is urgently needed.”<\/p>\n Several authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry; one author serves as an expert witness in legal cases involving brain injury and concussion.<\/p>\n