Self-Reported Traumatic Brain Injury and Mild Cognitive Impairment: Increased Risk and Earlier Age of Diagnosis

Abstract

This study examined whether history of traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with increased risk and earlier onset of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Subjects with MCI (n =3,187) and normal cognition (n=3,244) were obtained from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center database. TBI was categorized based on lifetime reported TBI with loss of consciousness (LOC) without chronic deficit. Logistic regression was used to examine TBI history as a predictor of MCI, adjusted for demographics, apolipoprotein E-e4 (Apoe4), a composite vascular risk score, and history of psychiatric factors. ANCOVA was used to examine whether age at MCI diagnosis and estimated age of onset differed between those with (TBI+) and without (TBI-) a history of TBI. TBI history was a significant predictor (p<.01) and associated with increased odds of MCI diagnosis in unadjusted (OR=1.25; 95% CI =1.05 – 1.49) and adjusted models, accounting for age, education, Apoe4, and a composite vascular score (OR=1.32; 95% CI=1.10 – 1.58). This association, however, was largely attenuated (OR=1.14; 95% CI=0.94 – 1.37; p=.18) after adjustment for reported history of depression. MCI was diagnosed a mean of 2.3 years earlier (p<.001) in the TBI+ group, and although TBI+ subjects had an estimated mean of decline 1.7 years earlier, clinician-estimated age of onset failed to differ (p =.13) when sex and psychiatric factors were controlled. This is the first report of a possible role for TBI as a risk factor in MCI, but its association may be related to other factors such as sex and depression and requires further investigation.

The NLRP3 inflammasome in traumatic brain injury: potential as a biomarker and therapeutic target

“…While TBIs on the mild spectrum were traditionally considered an innocuous injury, recently there has been developing awareness of the potential long-term implications of mild TBI (mTBI), and particularly in relation to repeated mTBIs. The most well publicized long-term implication of repeated mTBIs is the potential development of chronic neuroinflammatory-related conditions such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, depression, and anxiety [5][6][7][8][9].…”

DEVELOPING A SOCIAL COGNITION TASK FOR fMRI IN PATIENTS WITH MILD TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY

“…Reports of neuropsychiatric symptoms (LoBue et al, 2016) and cognitive impairments (Stulemeijer, Vos, Bleijenberg, & van der Werf, 2007) in mild TBI usually do not require an in hospital management (Barker-Collo et al, 2015). The perception of neuropsychiatric symptoms is often only referred by a third person, usually the caregiver, some days or months after the trauma and after the patient has been discharged of the Hospital.…”

Reaction time impairments in decision-making networks as a diagnostic marker for traumatic brain injuries and neurological diseases

“…The risk is increased for those who, in adulthood, sustained a severe head injury [34]. See [4,35,36,49] and references therein for more studies linking TBI to AD and other forms of dementia. One commonality between all previously mentioned brain disorders (and many others) is the extensive presence of axonal injury, which we will explore in details in this work.…”