Could Concussions be Related to Alzheimer's Disease? Brain Plaque from Injury Hurts Memory

A recent study shows that concussions could increase the risk of Alzheimer's Disease for some individuals later in life. Scientists believe that an "Alzheimer's-associated" plaque from injuries may be to blame.

"Interestingly, in people with a history of concussion, a difference in the amount of brain plaques was found only in those with memory and thinking problems, not in those who were cognitively normal," study author Michelle Mielke, PhD, with Mayo Clinic said, via a press release.

Researchers performed brain scans on 448 people who had no sign of memory problems, along with 141 individuals that struggled with mild cognitive impairment, all of whom were over the age of 70. Researchers also recorded whether or not the study subjects had ever sustained a serious brain injury.

Findings showed that close to 17 percent of the participants suffered no cognitive or memory problems if they had suffered a brain injury. However 18 percent of study participants had sustained one.

Researchers found that for those who suffered from mild cognitive impairment, patients who had received brain injuries had an 18 percent higher level of amyloid plaques than those who had not suffered a brain injury.

However, researchers did not find a difference in brain scan measurements between those who had sustained a brain injury but did not suffer cognitive delays or those that did not suffer any injury at all.

"Our results add merit to the idea that concussion and Alzheimer's disease brain pathology may be related," Mielke said, via the release. "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."

Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, has also been linked to increased rates of depression and other issues. Does someone you know suffer from this problem?

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More information regarding the study can be found via the American Academy of Neurology.