Concussions Related to Alzheimer’s Disease?

(Ivanhoe Newswire) –A history of concussion involving at least a momentary loss of consciousness may be related to the buildup of Alzheimer’s disease-associated plaques in the brain, according to a recent study at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

For the study, researchers observed 448 people without any signs of memory problems and 141 people with memory and thinking problems called mild cognitive impairment. Of the 448 people without any thinking or memory problems, 17 percent said they had a brain injury and 18 percent of the 141 group reported a concussion or head trauma.

Researchers found no difference in any brain scan measures in the people without memory and thinking impairments, whether or not they had head trauma. However, people with memory and thinking impairments and a history of head trauma had levels of amyloid plaques an average of 18 percent higher than those with no head trauma history.

“Our results add merit to the idea that concussion and Alzheimer’s disease brain pathology may be related. However, the fact that we did not find a relationship in those without memory and thinking problems suggests that any association between head trauma and amyloid is complex,” study author Michelle Mielke, PhD, was quoted as saying.

For more information, go to: http://www.neurology.org/content/current

SOURCE: Neurology, December 2013