Chris Benoit -> Brain Damage, not roid rage?

Brain Damage May Have Caused Wrestler Chris Benoit to Kill Family, Doctor Says

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

AP
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ATLANTA ?
A doctor who examined brain matter from former pro wrestler Chris Benoit said Wednesday that the wrestler had brain damage from multiple concussions that was consistent with what's seen in Alzheimer's patients.

Doctors said the damage from years in the ring may have been a leading cause for Benoit killing his wife, children and himself at their Atlanta-area home in June.

The Sports Legacy Institute, an organization that advances health and wellness of athletes, coordinated the testing using samples of Benoit's brain tissue provided by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation ? with the permission of Benoit's father.

Despite the results, Dr. Robert Cantu, a member of the institute and chief of neurosurgery service at Emerson Hospital in Concord, Mass., said there was no way to know for sure if the concussions Benoit suffered caused the murder-suicide.

Cantu did say that the brain injury Benoit suffered can cause depression and irrational behavior.

Cantu said Benoit's brain showed the same degenerative processes that doctors working for the institute found in the brains of three National Football League players who committed suicide.

He said there were abnormal protein deposits caused by trauma to Benoit's brain.

Cantu also said there's no evidence so far that steroids contributed to the attack.

Anabolic steroids were found in Benoit's home, and tests conducted by authorities showed Benoit had roughly 10 times the normal level of testosterone in his system when he died.