00:00Erich Grau helped pioneer American football in Germany, and he's paid a price.
00:07The former teacher likely suffers from CTE, a disease linked to repeated blows to the
00:13head.
00:14His brain is damaged beyond repair.
00:17It's a miserable life.
00:19Everything goes wrong.
00:21That's why people kill themselves.
00:23That's why people kill other people.
00:26Everything shrinks.
00:28You are not a person anymore.
00:31Several of Grau's former teammates died with CTE symptoms.
00:35Scientists don't yet understand the exact mechanisms that lead to the brain dysfunction
00:40associated with CTE.
00:43But they believe the risk of developing the condition is likely to increase with repetitive
00:47head impacts sustained over longer periods of time.
00:51If you bump your head once on the door, it's likely not happening.
00:57Everyone who engages in contact or combat sports, such as boxing, American football,
01:03or soccer, anyone who hits their head on a regular basis is at risk of developing CTE.
01:12Grau first developed symptoms around 2000, when he started to suffer headaches that lingered
01:19for months on end.
01:21To be able to teach, I had about 10 aspirin by the time of 11 o'clock.
01:29They lasted until at 1 o'clock the school was over.
01:34And that's where I thought, there must be something wrong.
01:39Before long, the former American football player began having difficulties remembering
01:43things like names.
01:45He was eventually forced into retirement at 54.
01:50CTE is a neurodegenerative condition associated with repeated blows to the head.
01:56Even lighter blows can damage what are called microtubules, which are important for the
02:01structure in brain cells.
02:03During this process, tau proteins are released.
02:06They usually stabilize the microtubules.
02:09These tau proteins aggregate and clump together, having an impact on brain function.
02:15The most common symptoms are memory loss, changes in personality, depression, and mood
02:20swings.
02:24Unlike concussions, repetitive head impacts don't cause acute symptoms, so no one knows
02:29how long it takes for the brain to recover from them.
02:33This poses a major challenge, both in research and in care.
02:38It is very likely that we at some point are going to compare this to smoking cigarettes.
02:44We don't know how many cigarettes it takes to develop cancer, but we know that they're
02:48not good for your health.
02:50And this is why medical scientists advise to not smoke full stop.
02:56More than 300 former National Football League players have been posthumously diagnosed with
03:01CTE.
03:03The real number of sufferers is likely far higher.
03:07At present, an official diagnosis is only possible after an autopsy.
03:12But researchers are now working on ways to determine whether someone is developing CTE
03:18while they're still alive.
03:20Many things about the condition remain mysterious.
03:23Are there risk factors or a predisposition for it?
03:27Could individually tailored treatments one day help sufferers?
03:31Treating the disease at the moment only involves addressing the symptoms it causes.
03:37We do know that every factor that helps the brain to stay healthy and functioning may
03:44also be preventive here in CTE.
03:46So that means being sportive, you know, working out, keeping your BMI in check, making sure
03:55that you don't develop diabetes.
03:58Awareness of the dangers of CTE among players, coaches and even doctors remains limited.
04:05American football wreaked havoc on Erich Grau's health and that of his former teammates.
04:11But his family, workouts and coping strategies have helped him keep his life from spinning
04:16out of control.
04:18For people with CTE it's very important to control their lives mentally and physically
04:26because if the bowling ball rolls to the right or to the left, that might end their
04:32life.
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