Highlanders player Shane Christie, center, gets into space during the Round 16 Super Rugby match between the Queensland Reds and the Highlanders at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia on May 30, 2014. (Dave Hunt/AAP Image via AP)

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A New Zealand professional rugby player who died by suspected suicide last year had advanced chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a brain abnormality linked to repeated concussions, according to a post-mortem examination.

The diagnosis was announced Thursday by Coroner Ian Telford, who is conducting a preliminary hearing into the death of Shane Christie who died in August aged 39.

CTE is a disease which causes progressive damage to brain tissue and has been known to cause mood swings, impulsive behavior and depression, among other symptoms. It can only be diagnosed after death.

Christie was a former New Zealand Maori representative who believed he was suffering from CTE and campaigned for greater understanding of the condition after the death of his friend and fellow rugby professional Billy Guyton, also by suspected suicide.

The abnormality has also been linked to deaths in the National Football League and in other sports such as hockey and soccer.

Friends and family of Christie said he wanted his diagnosis made public to raise awareness of CTE for players suffering its symptoms.

Christie, who played Super Rugby for the Crusaders and Highlanders in New Zealand, retired from rugby in 2018 after suffering the effects of repeated concussions.

The coroner said pathologist Dr. Clinton Turner had confirmed “the diagnosis of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which he characterizes as ‘high stage’.” Turner works at the University of Auckland “brain bank” to which Guyton and Christie had donated their brains.

The coroner said the diagnosis was the pathologist's opinion and that the cause of Christie's death would be determined by the coronial process.

The chief executive of New Zealand Rugby, Steve Lancaster told New Zealand media his organization recognizes “an association between repeated head impacts and CTE and takes this issue seriously.”

“New Zealand Rugby acknowledges the CTE pathology results for Shane Christie confirmed by The Neurological Foundation Human Brain Bank. We also acknowledge and respect the role of the coroner to determine the nature of any inquiry they may hold examining the cause and circumstances of Shane’s passing,” Lancaster said.

“We share the concerns about the potential long-term effects of repeated head knocks in rugby and support the need for ongoing research into this."

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