Getting quick treatment after a serious head injury can make a huge difference in brain health later in life.
A new study from Case Western Reserve University found that people who receive care within one week of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) are much less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, the risk can drop by up to 41%.
This discovery could change the way hospitals and emergency rooms treat head injuries. The Brain Injury Association of America estimates that 2.8 million people in the U.S. suffer from TBIs every year.
Around the world, about 69 million people experience TBIs annually. Because these injuries are not always visible on the outside, they are often called a “silent epidemic.” But they can cause long-term damage inside the brain.
A TBI can happen when the brain is shaken or hit by a force—such as in a car accident, a fall, or during sports. Soldiers can also experience TBIs during combat. After an injury like this, the brain becomes inflamed, which can slowly damage brain cells. This long-term inflammation has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease and other memory problems.
But the new study shows that if patients get treatment quickly—within one week of the injury—the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease goes down. Researchers looked at health records from more than 100 million Americans across different healthcare systems. They focused on 37,000 people aged 50 to 90 who had moderate or severe brain injuries.
Their analysis showed that those who were treated within a week of their injury were 41% less likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease after three years.
Even after five years, the risk was 30% lower than in people who received delayed treatment. The lead author, Austin Kennemer, a third-year medical student, said, “Our analysis shows that acting quickly matters in the long term.”
The kind of treatment patients received is known as neurorehabilitation. This includes physical therapy, occupational therapy, cognitive exercises, and speech-language therapy.
These treatments help the brain build new connections and heal, a process known as neuroplasticity. The brain can adapt and repair itself at any age—whether someone is five or ninety-five.
Other studies have also found that patients who receive neurorehabilitation while still in the hospital after a head injury have better thinking skills when they are discharged. Those who did not get this kind of therapy often had poorer outcomes.
The study was co-led by Kennemer and research assistant professor Zhenxiang Gao. It was supervised by Rong Xu, a professor of biomedical informatics and director of the university’s Center for AI in Drug Discovery. Xu leads a team that brings together medical students, data scientists, and doctors to study health outcomes in real-world situations.
Xu and her team are also exploring whether early neurorehabilitation after a brain injury could lower the risk of other brain diseases, such as Parkinson’s. “For the millions of people who suffer head injuries each year,” she said, “the message is clear: Getting treatment immediately could protect their minds for decades to come.”
This study is important because it offers hope. If people get help right after a serious head injury, they may be able to avoid devastating conditions like Alzheimer’s later on. With quick action, the brain can heal better and stay healthier for years.
If you care about Alzheimer’s disease, please read studies about the protective power of dietary antioxidants against Alzheimer’s, and eating habits linked to higher Alzheimer’s risk.
For more health information, please see recent studies that oral cannabis extract may help reduce Alzheimer’s symptoms, and Vitamin E may help prevent Parkinson’s disease.
The study is published in Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
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