Yes. That's a very good question, because there is a real connection between all of the neurodegenerative disorders, and patients may end up having more than one. For example, in the brains we have examined of athletes who have had multiple concussions, we have found other conditions present, like Parkinson's disease, or small strokes or a loss of blood supply to the brain. That's why very careful analysis has to be done of people who are suffering from symptoms like dementia and other brain degenerations to figure out exactly what caused it.
We're at a very early stage of this. In our centre, we've examined about 45 brains now that have been donated to us by the loved ones of people who have passed on where something of that sort was suspected. In about one-third of those people, we do find evidence of CTE. It's not as common as has been reported in other centres. Some were saying that up to 95% of brains donated to them concerning patients who have passed on with those degenerative conditions have shown CTE, but that hasn't been the case for us. I think that's just indicative that this is a growing field. We're just scratching the surface, really, but we have made some gains. I would hope that one of the objectives of your committee will be to advance further research as just indicated by Dr. Curran.