Even mild concussion can raise long-term risk of dementia

New Delhi, Aug 24 – Minor brain injuries at a young age that lead to concussion even for a short period may impact the brain later, and raise the risk of dementia, finds a study.

The study, led by researchers at the University of Cambridge in the UK, aimed to learn more about the impact of concussions — classified as traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) — or other minor brain injuries on dementia.

Previous research has suggested that some forms of dementia could be related to some types of brain injuries.

In the paper, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, the team analysed MRI scans of 617 people aged 40 to 59.

They also studied their medical histories, focusing most specifically on whether they had had brain injuries anytime during their life.

About 36.1 per cent of the participants reported having experienced at least one brain injury that was serious enough to have caused them a minor concussion.

Further, MRI scans showed that 1 in 6 of the participants had higher than normal instances of cerebral microbleeds and other symptoms of what is described as evidence of small vessel disease of the brain.

People with at least one TBI were also more likely to smoke cigarettes, had more sleep problems, were more likely to have gait issues, and suffered from depression.

The team noted that the more TBIs a person had, the more such problems became apparent.

Those who experienced a TBI in their youth also had a higher risk of memory problems than did patients with cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes — increasing their likelihood of developing dementia, the researchers found.

The team called for more research into the long-term impacts of TBIs, particularly regarding memory retention problems and possible associations with the development of dementia.