Occipital tau deposition and astrogliosis following traumatic brain injuries in a kendo player

Kendo, a type of fencing using bamboo swords, is one of the most popular Japanese martial arts that is practiced by over four million people worldwide.1 Kendo players wear face masks that protect their heads, but only from front and side attacks (figure 1A). Repetitive head trauma in athletes engaged in contact sports has been associated with development of neurodegenerative disorders.2 Herein, we present the case of kendo player with a history of chronic headache, depression, and cognitive dysfunction, who developed occipital epilepsy followed by generalized tonic-clonic seizures, as a result of repetitive head injuries.