Neuroscience

Injury prevention

Biology

Neuropathology

Vascular dementia

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy

Psychiatry

Neurodegeneration

Alzheimer's disease

Computer science

Traumatic brain injury

Environmental health

Computer network

Link (geometry)

Poison control

Bioinformatics

Psychology

Concussion

Dementia

Medicine

Disease

Pathology

EBioMedicine

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) are devastating neurological disorders, whose complex relationship is not completely understood. Cerebrovascular pathology, a key element in both conditions, could represent a mechanistic link between Aβ/tau deposition after TBI and the development of post concussive syndrome, dementia and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). In addition to debilitating acute effects, TBI-induced neurovascular injuries accelerate amyloid β (Aβ) production and perivascular accumulation, arterial stiffness, tau hyperphosphorylation and tau/Aβ-induced blood brain barrier damage, giving rise to a deleterious feed-forward loop. We postulate that TBI can initiate cerebrovascular pathology, which is causally involved in the development of multiple forms of neurodegeneration including AD-like dementias. In this review, we will explore how novel biomarkers, animal and human studies with a focus on cerebrovascular dysfunction are contributing to the understanding of the consequences of TBI on the development of AD-like pathology.

Traumatic Brain Injury and Alzheimer's Disease: The Cerebrovascular Link