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Case Report

Exp Neurobiol 2017; 26(3): 172-177

Published online June 30, 2017

https://doi.org/10.5607/en.2017.26.3.172

© The Korean Society for Brain and Neural Sciences

An Autopsy Proven Child Onset Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy

Kyuho Lee1, Seong-Ik Kim1, Yujin Lee1, Jae Kyung Won1,2 and Sung-Hye Park1,2,3*

1Department of Pathology, Seoul National University Hospital, College of Medicine, Seoul 03080, 2Brain Bank, Seoul National University Hospital, College of Medicine, Seoul 03080, 3Neuroscience Research Institute, Seoul National University, Seoul 03080, Korea

Correspondence to: *To whom correspondence should be addressed.
TEL: 82-2-2072-3090, FAX: 82-2-765-5600
e-mail: shparknp@snu.ac.kr

Received: April 4, 2017; Revised: June 7, 2017; Accepted: June 8, 2017

Abstract

Here we present an autopsy case of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in a 36-year-old man. He had a history of febrile seizures at the age of four and was severely demented at age 10 when he was admitted to a mental hospital. He had suffered repetitive self-harm, such as frequent banging of the head on the wall in his hospital record, but he had no clear history between the ages of four and ten. Autopsy revealed global cerebral atrophy, including the basal ganglia, thalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, mammilary bodies and lateral geniculate bodies. This case showed typical pathological features of CTE. Phosphorylated tau (p-tau)-positive neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) and neuropil threads (NT) we are widely distributed in the brain, especially in the depth of the cerebral sulci. NFT and NT were also found in the basal ganglia, thalamus, amygdala and brainstem. Scanty β-amyloid deposits were found in the motor and sensory cortices, but α-synuclein was completely negative in the brain. This example showed that CTE can occur in young ages and that even children can experience CTE dementia.

Keywords: Pathology, Traumatic encephalopathy, chronic, children, dementia