All Things Neuro: NFL CTE Headlines Renew a Simple Question: Has the Brain Been Tested?

As new research on former NFL players returns CTE to the national conversation, All Things Neuro points to a more immediate takeaway for everyone else: after any head injury, the first step is testing.

ATLANTA, Oct. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A study published in BMJ on August 25, 2026 examined 338 donated brains from former NFL players and found CTE in 93.2% of them. Because brain donation is voluntary, researchers extrapolated a more representative range across all 1,712 players who died in the same period, estimating that at least 1 in 4 had the disease. Lead author Dr. Daniel Daneshvar notes that CTE shows up in less than 1% of the general population in community brain bank studies, a gap he attributes largely to who gets looked for the disease in the first place.

Professional athletes often have structured systems for recognizing and evaluating head impacts. People who experience head trauma after a car crash, workplace incident, fall or other event may not have access to the same level of structured evaluation.

"Not everything that looks like long-term brain damage is permanent. Some of what shows up after repeated head impact is the brain reacting in ways that can improve with the right care, but only if someone identifies it. Athletes get tested because they're being watched. Most people who experience repeated head injuries, whether from physical abuse, military service, or minor accidents nobody flagged as serious, never get tested in the first place." — Dr. Jeremy Hertza, Medical Director, All Things Neuro (ATN)

For people concerned about a potential head injury, All Things Neuro's message starts with one action: Get a Braincussion, its telehealth concussion and TBI testing service. Braincussion doesn't diagnose CTE, which can only be confirmed after death. It evaluates living patients after a potential head injury using objective, standardized testing to help identify potential signs of concussion or TBI and determine whether further evaluation or care may be appropriate.

"When someone experiences a head injury, the first question shouldn't be whether the symptoms seem serious enough to ignore. It should be whether the brain has been appropriately evaluated. That's the idea behind Braincussion: start with testing, understand what may be happening, and when clinically appropriate, connect that person to the right next step in care." — Gairy Johnson, Founder & CEO, All Things Neuro 

Firms using the SmartAdvocate case management platform can connect with Braincussion powered by ATN, featured as an integrated partner within SmartAdvocate's toolkit, to request testing at key phases of a case, from intake forward, without changing their existing workflow.

About All Things Neuro
All Things Neuro serves personal injury, workers' compensation, and self-pay patients across Georgia, Ohio, and Massachusetts. Braincussion, its telehealth service, provides an accessible starting point for concussion and TBI testing. All Things Neuro also offers in-office oculomotor and oculo-vestibular assessment, neuropsychological evaluation, and rehabilitation care, connecting patients to the next step once testing identifies a need.

This release is informational and does not constitute medical advice. Anyone concerned about a potential brain injury should consult a qualified healthcare provider.

SOURCE All Things Neuro