Head Injury | Brain Injury Overview Types Causes Symptoms Diagnosis Treatment
Head injury or traumatic brain injury is a leading cause of disability among children and young adults that leads to varying degrees of physical and mental stability. Fortunately, it is also one of the preventable brain disorder.
Head injury or traumatic brain injury is a leading cause of disability among children and young adults that leads to varying degrees of physical and mental stability. Fortunately, it is also one of the preventable brain disorder.
‘Traumatic brain injury can trigger progressive accumulation of tau, a protein associated with neurodegeneration that plays a major role in Alzheimer's disease.’
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Scientists have studied the effects of TBI by combining PET imaging with flortaucipir, an imaging agent that binds to tau. Most imaging studies have been performed in athletes who have experienced multiple injuries, but it is less clear how the brain changes in survivors who experienced a single TBI. Nikos Gorgoraptis and colleagues performed flortaucipir PET scans to study the distribution of tau in 21 participants who experienced a TBI at least 18 years prior, due to either traffic accidents or assault. The experiment revealed that collectively, the TBI cohort showed more deposition of tau (as indicated by higher flortaucipir binding) compared to 11 healthy controls and performed more poorly on tests of memory and cognitive performance.
Furthermore, TBI subjects with higher tau deposition showed more severe neurodegeneration, and tau deposition was also linked to damage to the brain's white matter - the tissue that insulates and nurtures neurons. The ability to detect tau in patients after TBI could help in the design of future trials of tau-targeting therapies, the authors add.
Alzheimer’s disease - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Stages, Types, Prevention, Prognosis & Treatment
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting memory and thinking and making the person increasingly dependent on others.
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting memory and thinking and making the person increasingly dependent on others.
Test your Knowledge on Brain Injury
Injury to the head or brain can have a short-term as well as long-term effects. Trauma to the brain is common in young adults, as well as in the elderly due to falls. Besides trauma, other conditions like reduced oxygen supply to the brain or the presence of toxins can also injure the brain. Test your knowledge on brain injury by taking this quiz.
Injury to the head or brain can have a short-term as well as long-term effects. Trauma to the brain is common in young adults, as well as in the elderly due to falls. Besides trauma, other conditions like reduced oxygen supply to the brain or the presence of toxins can also injure the brain. Test your knowledge on brain injury by taking this quiz.
Caring for Alzheimers disease patients
Alzheimer's disease is a complex brain disorder that triggers the most common form of dementia. The slide show will show how patients need support and care as dementia progresses.
Alzheimer's disease is a complex brain disorder that triggers the most common form of dementia. The slide show will show how patients need support and care as dementia progresses.
