Researchers are a step closer to being able to diagnose CTE in living people

Auckland University scientists have found new patterns of inflammation in brains with chronic traumatic encephalopathy .

They discovered support cells in the brain seem to play a pivotal role.

Senior Author Helen Murray says there will likely be more tools to diagnose CTE in the near future.

She says multiple tests would be needed to do this.

Murray says the next step is to take the findings into clinical settings - and see if the inflammation can be found living people, through MRIs.