Story highlights The brain of wrestler Chyna will be donated to study chronic traumatic encephalopathy

CTE can have symptoms similar to Alzheimer's

A growing number of athletes are donating their brains

(CNN) Representatives for the wrestler and entertainer Chyna confirmed that her brain will be donated for research into the degenerative brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy, known as CTE.

Police in Redondo Beach, California, said Joan Laurer, who went by the name Chyna, was found dead in her apartment April 20. She was 45.

CTE can result in Alzheimer's-like symptoms such as mood swings, memory loss and rage. It can potentially lead to suicide. Researchers believe the disease is a result of repeated hits to the head that yield a buildup of an abnormal protein called tau. CTE can be definitively diagnosed only after death.

More athletes' brains to be studied

Chyna's spokesman Anthony Anzalo said her brain will be examined by Dr. Bennet Omalu. Omalu was the first to document CTE in the brain of a professional football player. Will Smith played him in the 2015 movie " Concussion ."

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