New research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine has found why traumatic brain injuries (TBI), even mild ones, may raise the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
More importantly, the study points to a possible way to stop this process before it causes lasting brain damage.
The research was led by Dr. John Lukens and his team at the university’s Harrison Family Translational Research Center in Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases.
They discovered that a single mild head injury can cause changes in the brain that make Alzheimer’s more likely to develop later in life.
The changes affect how the brain drains waste and harmful substances, which is a key part of keeping the brain healthy.
Normally, the brain uses tiny lymphatic vessels in its protective membranes to help remove waste. These vessels were only discovered in 2015, but they play a major role in brain health.
Lukens’ team found that brain injuries harm these vessels, making it harder for the brain to get rid of damaging substances. One of these harmful substances is a protein called tau, which forms tangled clumps in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s.
In studies using mice, the researchers found that just one mild TBI was enough to trigger problems in these drainage vessels. This led to more buildup of tau protein and early signs of brain degeneration. The injury also changed how certain immune cells in the brain worked, making them less able to protect brain tissue and clean up damage.
To try and fix the problem, the researchers used a virus shell to deliver a natural growth factor called VEGFC directly into the brain’s outer layers. VEGFC helps lymphatic vessels grow and heal. When given within 24 hours of the injury, this treatment restored the function of the drainage system and stopped the tau buildup in the mice.
Dr. Lukens hopes this discovery will lead to new treatments that protect the brain after injury. “Fixing brain drainage after trauma might be a much-needed way to lower the risk of Alzheimer’s in the future,” he said. His team believes that drugs that support or repair the brain’s waste-clearing system could help many people.
This research is also important because traumatic brain injuries don’t just raise the risk of Alzheimer’s. They have been linked to other brain diseases, including Parkinson’s, ALS, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Lukens said the next step will be to explore whether improving brain drainage can help prevent these other diseases as well.
Although this treatment is not yet ready for people, the research gives hope for future therapies that might stop or slow down brain damage before it leads to dementia. Right now, the team is looking for similar drug compounds that could be tested in clinical trials.
The study reveals a hidden link between head injuries and long-term brain problems and opens a new path for preventing Alzheimer’s and related diseases.
If you care about Alzheimer’s disease, please read studies that bad lifestyle habits can cause Alzheimer’s disease, and strawberries can be good defence against Alzheimer’s.
For more information about brain health, 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 Cell Reports.
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