Can someone educate me more about cte? what is considered a severe repeated blow to the head? i thought our skulls were meant to protect us from light things like light punches or slaps?

FOOTBALL PLAYERS ARE LONG TERM CANDIDATES FOR CTE THE STUDY AT BOSTON UNIV.REVEALS. CONSTANT BLOWS TO THE HEAD OVER THE YEARS CAUSES CTE. ALSO BASEBALL ,HOCKEY AND LACROSSE PLAYERS ARE SUBJECT TO CTE AND ANYONE WHO IS HIT IN THE HEAD SUCH AS A BOXER. ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET OR SOME KIND OF PROTECTION WHEN PLAYING A CONTACT SPORT.

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is indeed a result of a series of severe head injuries, and was initially associated with concussions afflicting professional athletes. Boxers, for example developed "dementia pugilistic" (punch drunk syndrome). The brain is not fixated within the skull and moves, in response to severe sudden forces, often contacting the inner cranial bony structures.