It has long been suspected that repeated concussions can result in dementia-like symptoms many years after injury, a condition labeled chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). The brain structures damaged in CTE are critical for memory and executive function.
CTE has been studied in boxing, wherein retired boxers developed dementia at a higher rate and a younger age compared with the general population.
Hockey’s Joe Murphy comes to mind.....
Yes. They used to call it “punchdrunk.” And once the damage is done it doesn’t get better. Acute symptoms subside, but the long term course is progressive even without further injury. One common sequela is parkinsonism symptoms, such as Bernie Kosar now has.