Challenges in the pharmacological treatment of patients under suspicion of chronic traumatic encephalopathy: A review

•No biomarkers.•Post-mortem diagnosis only.•Disease confused with others.•Main drug treatments for CTE.•The lack of specific drugs for the disease.•Inadequate treatment due to the few studies and protocols without refined parameters. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is caused by progressive neurodegeneration associated with repetitive head impacts. This disease is more common in professionals who practice contact sports, resulting in a concussion and subconcussive trauma. CTE is characterized by the accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau protein in neurons, astrocytes, and frontotemporal lobe degeneration. Symptoms are usually nonspecific and overlap with other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia, making it difficult to provide drug treatment for patients with this comorbidity. Therefore, the objective of this article is to present an updated review of the pharmacological treatment of chronic traumatic encephalopathy and its challenges.