Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Head injuries may worsen cognitive decline decades later

#1
C C Offline
https://eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021...031021.php

RELEASE: People who experienced head injuries in their 50s or younger score lower than expected on cognitive tests at age 70, according to a study led by UCL researchers. Head injuries did not appear to contribute to brain damage characteristic of Alzheimer's disease, but might make people more vulnerable to dementia symptoms, according to the findings published in Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology.

Lead author Dr Sarah-Naomi James (MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing at UCL) said: "Here we found compelling evidence that head injuries in early or mid-life can have a small but significant impact on brain health and thinking skills in the long term. It might be that a head injury makes the brain more vulnerable to, or accelerates, the normal brain ageing process."

The study involved 502 participants of the UK's longest-running cohort study, the MRC National Survey of Health and Development Cohort, which has been following participants since their birth in the same week in 1946. At age 53, they were asked 'Have you ever been knocked unconscious?' to assess whether they had ever suffered a substantial head injury; 21% of their sample had answered yes to this question. And then around age 70 (69-71), the study participants underwent brain scans (PET/MRI), and they took a suite of cognitive tests.

The participants had all completed standardised cognitive tests at age eight, so the researchers were able to compare their results at age 70 with expected results based on their childhood cognition and other factors such as educational attainment and socioeconomic status.

The researchers found that 70-year-olds who had experienced a serious head injury more than 15 years earlier performed slightly worse than expected on cognitive tests for attention and quick thinking (a difference of two points, scoring 46 versus 48 on a 93-point scale). They also had smaller brain volumes (by 1%) and differences in brain microstructural integrity, in line with evidence from previous studies, which may explain the subtle cognitive differences.

The researchers did not find any differences in levels of the amyloid protein, implicated in Alzheimer's disease, or other signs of Alzheimer's-related damage. Dr James said: "It looks like head injuries can make our brains more vulnerable to the normal effects of ageing. We have not found evidence that a head injury would cause dementia, but it could exacerbate or accelerate some dementia symptoms."

Joint senior author Professor Jonathan Schott (UCL Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology) said: "This adds to a growing body of evidence linking head injury with brain health many years later, with yet more reasons to protect the brain from injury wherever possible."

The researchers did not have data on the frequency, severity or cause of the head injuries, to see if long-term impacts might have been even greater for certain people. The academics are continuing their research with this cohort to see if neurodegeneration or cognitive decline continues in late life among those with past head injuries.

Joint senior author Professor Nick Fox (UCL Dementia Research Centre and UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL) added: "Serious head injury can have immediate devastating effects, but what is becoming increasingly clear is that less severe but repeated head injuries - such as those sustained in contact sports - can have an effect on brain health many years later. Our study shows that, even in the general population, a head injury sufficient to cause a loss of consciousness can subtly affect cognition in later life. It has never been more clear that we need to do all we can to protect our brains from injury throughout our lives."
Reply


Possibly Related Threads…
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  Research 1 of 10 veterans diagnosed with dementia may instead have decline from cirrosis C C 1 38 Feb 2, 2024 08:00 PM
Last Post: Magical Realist
  Research 3rd study: Multivitamin supplements improve memory & slow cognitive aging in seniors C C 0 109 Jan 19, 2024 05:46 PM
Last Post: C C
  Cognitive immunology: Why aren't we all conspiracy theorists? C C 2 117 Sep 12, 2021 04:02 AM
Last Post: Syne
  Stress may be causing a decline in human fertility + Art of fighting and making up C C 0 61 Aug 23, 2021 06:06 PM
Last Post: C C
  Astronauts on Mars missions could suffer cognitive and emotional problems C C 0 140 Mar 18, 2021 06:59 PM
Last Post: C C
  What the Tip-of-the-Tongue phenomenon says about cognitive aging C C 0 138 Jan 8, 2021 12:39 AM
Last Post: C C
  Dogs smell COVID-19 in people + Food that reduces cognitive decline + C-19 teeth loss C C 0 155 Dec 11, 2020 05:50 PM
Last Post: C C
  Baby boomers: more cognitive decline than previous generations + Dementia rates fall C C 0 126 Aug 5, 2020 05:06 AM
Last Post: C C
  Exercise B4 breakfast + Active neurons = aging faster + Retiring & cognitive decline C C 0 226 Oct 31, 2019 07:19 PM
Last Post: C C
  How a high salt diet may lead to cognitive decline C C 0 198 Oct 26, 2019 10:17 PM
Last Post: C C



Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)