Assessing clinicopathological correlation in chronic traumatic encephalopathy: rationale and methods for the UNITE study

This study, called UNITE, aims to understand the connection between repetitive head impacts (RHI) and a brain disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Researchers will study the brains of deceased individuals with a history of RHI. The study involves a detailed analysis of brain tissue and a review of the person's clinical history, including interviews with family members. A group of experts will then discuss the case to determine if the clinical symptoms match the brain pathology. The goal is to improve the accuracy of diagnosing CTE during life and to identify specific features that can help predict the disease. This is important for understanding the long-term health risks of RHI.

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  The UNITE study is designed to investigate the validity of proposed clinical criteria for CTE, using neuropathological findings as the gold standard.
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  The study aims to identify sources of error between clinical diagnosis and neuropathological diagnosis of CTE.
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  Statistical modeling will be used to identify diagnostic features that best predict CTE pathology.