Long-lasting effects of concussion

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2024-08-16 01:00

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Traumatic brain injuries increase the risk of dementia, and new research shows that even mild brain injuries such as concussion can have long-lasting effects on brain health. A study of over 600 middle-aged adults showed that past traumatic brain injuries were associated with depression and poorer sleep, and with microbleeds visible in brain imaging. This suggests that the depression and poorer sleep could be a result of injury to the brain's blood circulation system. The authors of the UK and Ireland study say their findings show the long-lasting effects of concussion could be detectable much earlier than any symptoms of dementia, and could indicate which patients are at higher risk.

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Journal/
conference: JAMA Network Open

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: University of Cambridge, UK

Funder: The PREVENT Dementia program is funded by the Alzheimer’s Society (grant Nos. 178, 264, and 329), Alzheimer’s Association (grant No. TriBEKa-17-519007), and philanthropic donations. Dr Low is supported by a Race Against Dementia fellowship. Dr Stefaniak received funding from the Wellcome Trust (grant No. 203914/Z/16/Z) as a clinical PhD fellow. Dr Su is supported by the Cambridge NIHR Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) and Alzheimer’s Research UK (grant No. ARUK-SRF2017B-1). Dr Muniz-Terrera is supported by the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation Ralph S. Licklider, DO, Research Endowment. Dr Stewart is supported by the National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (grant Nos. R01NS094003, R01NS123034, U54NS115322), the Medical Research Council (No. MR/Y008502/1) and NHS Research Scotland. Prof O’Brien receives infrastructural support from the Cambridge NIHR BRC. This research is supported by the NIHR Cambridge BRC (No. BRC-1215-20014).

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