Researchers in Scotland and the US have discovered a link between single head injury and dementia.
A previous study had already linked sports involving repetitive blows to the head, such as boxing and football, to dementia. The new study is the first to suggest a link between a single head injury and dementia.
The study, undertaken by researchers at the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow, compared the brain tissue of 39 people who had previously sustained a brain injury and recovered to 39 people who had never had a brain injury at all.
Approximately one third of those who had had a brain injury showed abnormalities in their tissue.
Dr William Stewart, who had led Glasgow team of researchers, has described the findings as an exciting development. He indicated that patients with the abnormalities had large numbers of proteins in their brain. These findings are similar to those seen in older patients and people with Alzheimer’s.
Dr Stewart hopes that this research will in turn lead to further research into dementia. He added: “Part of the challenge in dementia is that a lot of the work we do is with people who already have it.”
He suggested that the more they know about the development of dementia the better. Furthermore, this research will prove to be helpful in developing effective new treatments for the disease.
Currently there are over 150,00 head injuries that affect people in the UK every year.
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