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晉身國家美式足球聯盟（NFL）球員之列，是許多年輕運動員的夢想。但他們或許沒有考慮到罹患腦病的風險。
一項由美國退伍軍人事務部和波士頓大學共同發表的研究顯示，在91位受試的NFL球員中，有87位患有「慢性創傷腦病變」（chronic traumatic encephalopathy, CTE）。
CTE是一種腦部疾病，研究者相信，是由於頭部遭重覆撞擊造成。做腦部掃描可檢測到CTE徵兆，但唯有死亡後才可能確證。
此疾病初期會在患者大腦額葉血管周圍，形成「Tau」蛋白質。到了第二階段，患者會感到暴怒、衝動或憂鬱。第三階段，蛋白質已擴散至大腦其他部位，症狀包括困惑、失憶等。
第四階段症狀則以痴呆最顯著，由於腦內神經細胞已壞死。在CTE最後階段，大腦會萎縮到僅剩一般人腦一半的大小。
聯邦法官已批准NFL支付十億美元賠償金給數千位NFL前任球員，以達成和解。
這筆錢將會用於醫療檢驗、腦震盪研究、損害賠償等。
英文原文：
Many young athletes dream of playing in the NFL but what most of them don't take into consideration is the risk of brain disease.
A study by the Department of Veterans Affairs and Boston University found that 87 out of 91 former NFL players tested, suffered from a brain disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
CTE is a brain disease that researchers believe to be caused by repetitive head trauma. Brain scans can detect signs of CTE, but it can only be confirmed posthumously.
The disease causes a protein called tau to form around blood vessels in the frontal lobe. During stage two, sufferers may experience rage, impulsivity, or depression. Symptoms of stage three include confusion and memory loss as the tau protein spreads to other parts of the brain. Stage four is marked by dementia, as nerve cells in the brain die.
During the final stages of CTE, the brain withers to roughly half the size of a normal brain.
A federal judge has approved a $1 billion settlement between the NFL and thousands of ex-players. The money will go toward medical exams and concussion research among payment for damages.
