Could mild TBI, concussion increase the risk of Alzheimer's?

A new study has linked people who experience mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) as being associated with greater neurodegeneration in those at risk for Alzheimer’s disease.

The study, published in Brain, used MRI scans of 160 Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans between the ages of 19 and 58 who carried mild TBI and post-traumatic stress disorder diagnoses.

Researchers found that participants with mild TBI or concussion are at an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease later in life.

“Among males with mild traumatic brain injury, high genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease was associated with cortical thinning as a function of time since injury,” wrote the authors of the study. “A moderated mediation analysis showed that mild traumatic brain injury and high genetic risk indirectly influenced episodic memory performance through cortical thickness, suggesting that cortical thinning in Alzheimer’s disease-vulnerable brain regions is a mechanism for reduced memory performance.”