Question:
Large amounts of abnormal tau proteins in the form of neurofibrillary tangles and neuritic threads were found, along with loss of nerve cells (neurons). These extensive changes throughout his brain, identified in the neocortex, basal ganglia, substantia nigra and brainstem consisted of accumulation of tau protein in the neurons and their fibers which project to other parts of the brain. Sports Legacy Institute believes these are most likely post-traumatic expressions of prior recognized or unrecognized (subclinical) concussions.

''When the results were explained to me by the SLI doctors, I was shocked to learn the extent of damage [from repetitive head injuries in contact sports] and saddened that he could have been suffering from this without anyone's knowledge,'' Michael Benoit said. 'I hope the examination of Chris' brain leads to greater understanding and ultimately helps protect athletes of all ages.'' Tau becomes phosphorylated and visible when the person has had prior traumatic brain injury, irrespective if there were clinical expressions or identification that a concussion had occurred. Did it take that long for them to run the tests, or was the reporting of the results intentionally delayed?

Answer: It seems to be the brain stuff plus whatever personal issues were going on, plus stuff we may never know.

The problem with te TV news folks is they sometimes don't wait for all the stuff to come out, after all it does take months or even years sometimes, and with all media they only report a mix of what they know, or in some cases, some of what they know and some of that they assume.

An analysis of brain tissue of Chris Benoit, who murdered his wife and 7-year-old son before killing himself on the weekend of June 25 in their Georgia home, showed he was suffering from serious brain damage consistent with CTE, according to experts at the conference. This was not roid rage,'' Bailes said. ``This happened over the course of a couple of days, and there is no medical evidence steroids caused this. This is a brain damage syndrome which pre-dates steroids.Chris Benoit's brain was processed and examined microscopically using a battery of standard histochemical and specialized immunochemistry stains. Specifically, techniques were utilized to identify tau protein.