For Immediate Release
Is Service-Related Traumatic Brain Injury in Veterans a Prelude to Alzheimer’s Disease?
Contact: Kathryn Ryan
914-740-2250
kryan@liebertpub.com
New Rochelle, NY, March 27, 2023—Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is common among military veterans and has been associated with an increased risk of dementia. Whether this is due to an increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease is the focus of a new study in the peer-reviewed Journal of Neurotrauma. Click here to read the article now.
Tia Cummins, PhD, Vincent Doré, PhD, and coauthors representing a multicenter research group in Australia and the United States, measured two key biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease – ß-amyloid and tau – as well as glucose metabolism in Vietnam war veterans who either had or did not have a history of TBI. None of the participants had a prior diagnosis of dementia. The main purpose of this case-control study was to determine if veterans with a history of TBI were more likely to demonstrate the neuropathological markers of Alzheimer’s disease.
“The normal level of ß-amyloid deposition, tau aggregation, and glucose metabolism in TBI subjects compared with normal matched individuals does not support the premise that TBI can be a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. This suggests that the observed increase in dementia risk may be due to other causes of dementia,” concluded the investigators.
“This is a very important negative result,” says David L. Brody, MD, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Neurotrauma, “While more research is required in this area, it may be wise to broaden our search for the mechanisms underlying the increased risk of dementia following traumatic brain injury. I applaud the authors for this well-designed and well-executed study.”
About the Journal
Journal of Neurotrauma is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published 24 times per year in print and online that focuses on the latest advances in the clinical and laboratory investigation of traumatic brain and spinal cord injury. Emphasis is on the basic pathobiology of injury to the nervous system, and the papers and reviews evaluate preclinical and clinical trials targeted at improving the early management and long-term care and recovery of patients with traumatic brain injury. Journal of Neurotrauma is the official journal of the National Neurotrauma Society and the International Neurotrauma Society. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Journal of Neurotrauma website.
About the Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in promising areas of science and biomedical research. A complete list of the firm’s more than 100 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.