Concussion History Associated with Risk of Alzheimer's

Health & Wellness

Concussion History Associated with Risk of Alzheimer’s

By
Dana Sparks

December 18, 2013

A new study suggests that a history of concussion involving at least a momentary loss of consciousness may be related to the buildup of Alzheimer’s-associated plaques in the brain.

Study author and Mayo Clinic researcher Michelle Mielke, Ph.D., says, “Interestingly, in people with a history of concussion, a difference in the amount of brain plaques was found only in those with memory and thinking problems, not in those who were cognitively normal.”

The research is published in the December 26, 2013, online issue of Neurology^®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Read news release.

Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Mielke are available in the downloads.